The Comparative Analysis of Nine Middle School History 2 Textbooks by 2012’s Official Approval

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 41-86
Author(s):  
Sang-hoon Choi
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
School History ◽  
Middle School History

Narrative Strategies Regarding Japanese Ethnic Origins and Cultural Identities in Japanese Middle-School History Textbooks

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryôta Nishino
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
History Textbooks ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Narrative Strategies ◽  
Long Period ◽  
School History ◽  
Middle School History ◽  
Japanese Identity ◽  
Ethnic Origins

This article examines how middle school history textbooks published between 1951 and 1995 explain the origins of the Japanese as an ethnic group (minzoku). The analysis shows that despite the relatively long period from which the sample of textbooks was taken, these texts continue to emphasize two categories of Japanese identity: a biologically heterogeneous people through prehistoric immigration and a unified language. Building on the latter theme, the textbooks continued to treat the innovation of the kana as a quintessential development underlying the Japanese cultural achievement. The analysis reveals that the narrative tone shifted from being emotive in the early 1950s texts to somewhat muted in later decades.

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