This paper presents an approach to the critical analysis of textbook knowledge, which, working from a discourse theory perspective (based on the work of Foucault), refers to the performative nature of language. The critical potential of the approach derives from an analysis of knowledge-generating logics, which produce particular images of reality in the textual material. This kind of criticism creates space for didactic reflection in which something "other" can be systematically highlighted. The approach is described by means of an example, an analysis of Austrian textbooks on business administration, looking specifically at the knowledge they contain about global economic contexts.