An Analysis of the Representation of Life Style and Ideology in Interchange ESL Books

This article will examine how life style and ideology are represented in Interchange ESL books in the Iranian institutions for English language. The article seeks a possible answer to two following questions: 1- how Interchange ESL books, treated here as symbolic forms of ideology as Thompson puts it, transmit their ideological training codes? And 2- how these books depict particularly American types of ideology and life style to look as natural and publicly-admitted life style? In order to answer these questions we will first perform a study on all four yellow, red, blue and green versions of Interchange books to find out how the dimensions of life style are represented. Then we will search for discoveries on patterns of representing a particularly American type of life style in Interchange books. We claim these patterns are used in Interchange books as a strategic agenda through which the American ideologies are transmitted to the ESL learners. Our argument will also cover the question of how the audience will interact with such texts. Methodologically, we will rely on the data collected from four focus group discussions. Then we will analyze reactions of the ESL learners to the content of these books. Some of the findings indicate that although these books depict the American ideology, life style and culture, the Iranian ESL learners necessarily do not give in to the instructions. Rather, they chose whether or not they would like to follow the American cultural codes and norms introduced by the books. In some instances the learners invent a cultural bricolage and appeal to it.