Designing a Game of Resistance: An Approach to Cultural Misrepresentation in Educational Visuals

Abstract

This thesis explores the pervasive issue of cultural misrepresentation within Ontario’s elementary school curriculum, with a specific focus on the visual content found in educational materials for grades 4 to 6. Through a qualitative content analysis of commercial and Ministry-endorsed teaching resources, this study reveals how visual narratives often reinforce Eurocentric ideologies, marginalize racialized identities, and offer reductive portrayals of culture under the guise of multicultural inclusion. Rather than fostering meaningful cross-cultural understanding, these representations tend to prioritize aesthetic cohesion, palatability, and marketability, ultimately compromising cultural accuracy and complexity.

Guided by Semiotics, Critical Design Theory, and Decolonial Design Theory, this research interrogates the underlying pedagogical and design assumptions embedded in these visual tools. It argues that the erasure or tokenization of non-dominant cultures is not incidental but structurally ingrained, reflecting larger systemic inequities.

In response to these findings, the thesis presents a speculative design intervention—an interactive, critical experience that visualizes and challenges cultural misrepresentation in educational media. This intervention aims not to offer solutions, but to provoke reflection, dialogue, and discomfort. Ultimately, the project advocates for a decolonial design approach that centers cultural authenticity, and amplifies marginalized voices to challenge dominant narratives and reimagine how culture is visually represented.