The aim of this study is to investigate how upper-secondary English teachers consider diversity when selecting literature to use in their EFL classrooms and how they aim to work with such texts in their teaching. To investigate this, semi-structured interviews with five upper-secondary English teachers were conducted. Theoretical frameworks such as the concept of literature as mirrors and windows, Banks’ intercultural dimensions, and critical sociocultural theories on teaching and learning were then used to analyze and discuss the findings from the interviews. 

The results of this study show that the teachers in this study rarely consider diversity when selecting literary texts for their teaching and that diversity is something of an afterthought for the teachers. However, the study also shows that diversity is often unintentionally included in the teachers’ education in several ways. Moreover, many of the teachers express constraints when selecting literature and including diversity-related topics in their teaching, such as students’ resistance towards reading, students’ negative attitude toward such topics, and limited access to up-to-date material. Despite these constraints, the results reportedly show that the teachers generally accomplish the difficult task of including diversity-related topics in their teaching and that discussions about these topics provide the students with new perspectives and opportunities to gain an understanding of and for others. However, when diversity is not considered a crucial aspect when selecting literary texts and teaching material for the students there is a risk that certain diversity-related topics are overlooked, which results in the risk that the students do not fully gain the knowledge and experience they need to thrive in a diverse society.