‘Exchange and Trade’-centered Content Composition Attempts and Narrative Limitations

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine whether the revision of history education curriculum has brought actual changes in textbook narratives, and to evaluate its achievements and limitations centering on the contents of the opening a new sea route. Until the 7th curriculum, contents on ‘opening a new sea route’ have served the momentum for true means of Western modernization and establishment of world history. However, such interpretation is typically European-centered depiction, taking Europe as the principal agent. In the 2009 and 2011 revision curriculums, attempts to overcome this aspect have been made by reflecting the principle of ‘interconnectedness’. As a result, the narrative structures of depicting 15th century Europe as having exceptional development, and describing modernity as being created by Europe, have overall been weakened to some extent. Nevertheless, there still exist many confusions and limitations due to the failure in naturally converging the content elements of global trade network into the context.BR Great disorientation is caused in terms of writing once the curriculum demands a drastic modification in narrative contents of the textbook. Thus, instead of waiting for a declarative change in the curriculum, this study proposes an accumulation of concrete narrative experiences based on continuous discussions on world history description, instead of perceiving it as Oriental or Western history in fragmented forms.