Most of the important work which has appeared in the past two decades in the curriculum field has been about the culture of the text. A rich literature has evolved around this, the traditional object of instructional activity. However, even the best of this work has largely focused on the textbook after it has been produced, adopted and entered the classroom. In this work, the social studies textbook in particular has held a special symbolic place. More often than not, it has been looked upon as a cultural commodity maintaining various discourses of power, ideology and social reproduction.