This exploratory study is part of a post-doctoral project investigating how Brazilian and Portuguese textbooks present slavery and the slavery trade, as well as how Portuguese students interpret these issues, particularly when they use the sources in their textbooks. A group of 8th-grade students (aged 13–14) from a school in northern Portugal was asked to reflect on the meaning of slavery and its potential consequences for Brazil and Portugal, drawing on evidence related to the slave trade and labour during the (...) 16th century, as presented in their textbooks. The students’ responses were analysed inductively, and the findings are discussed in terms of (a) the specific analytical process employed and (b) the insights gained regarding the relationship between textbook representations and students’ perceptions, framed within the context of situated learning. This framework suggests that prior knowledge, personal experience, and the specific task at hand may influence students' ideas and outcomes. (shrink)