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Teaching Jihad: Developing Religious Literacy Through Graphic Novels, Melanie C. Brooks, Kelly Deits Cutler, Fida Sanjakdar, Daniel D. Liou

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined the representations of jihad in graphic novels to ascertain how its depictions may inform the development of religious literacy in secondary classrooms. Hegemonic constructions of jihad in theWest are commonly reduced to false binaries that shape non-Muslims’ extant beliefs and perceptions of Islam and Muslims. This raises concerns about the ways in which societal expectations shape knowledge formation in schools. Accordingly, this critical content analysis explored the depiction of jihad in three graphic novel memoirs, an increasingly popular medium of instruction in secondary classrooms. Our analysis identified three forms of jihad conveyed through the graphic novels, specifically: …