Assessing “Herstory” of WWII: Content Analysis of High School History Textbooks

2004 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie L. Gordy ◽  
Jennifer Hogan ◽  
Alice Pritchard
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
History Textbooks ◽  
School History

Japan's History Textbooks Debate: National Identity in Narratives of Victimhood and Victimization

Asian Survey ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 683-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Bukh
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
History Textbooks ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
Japanese People ◽  
National History ◽  
School History

This article examines the narratives of wartime victimhood and victimization in Japan's junior high school history textbooks in the early 1980s and in contemporary times from the perspective of national identity. Unlike most existing scholarship, this article argues that the narrative regarding the wartime suffering of the Japanese people can be seen as inducing a critical perspective on imperial wars and their disastrous impact on ordinary people. It also argues that contemporary narratives contest the notion of a monolithic Japanese identity and challenge Japan's monopoly over writing its own national history.

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