The Change of Formalized Story Arcs along with the Emergence of ‘New World History’ - Focusing on the Age of Exploration and Absolutism in World History Textbooks -

Abstract

Overcoming Eurocentrism can be started from analyzing narrative context of European history, usually accepted in formalized ways, in world history textbooks. This paper discusses the changes and the limits of story arcs in the textbooks released around the 2009 revised national curriculum that includes research trends of ‘New World History’, focusing on the Age of Exploration and Absolutism, formalized as an economic and political origin of the formation of late modern states in high-school world history textbooks. Base on the analysis, the alternatives of story arc are also presented.BR While some textbooks crushed the narrative structure that described the Age of Exploration as an origin of modern Capitalism development, many of them changed only small part of narratives or terminologies. In addition, the processes of exploration, seeking sea routes ‘New’ only to European people, are mainly about explorers, their adventurous spirits and routes themselves. Also, absoluteness is still with strongly emphasized absoluteness of monarchy and backwardness of Eastern Europe, compared to formality of Western Europe, even though it sometimes highlights characteristics of centralism.BR In order to change the formalization, various alternative story arcs should be provided to students to help them have critical views toward mythicized past in the history, not curriculum revision-led changes. Using the story arc teachers need to guide their students to understand diversity and tentativeness of interpretation of history, not a single view about past, and view contemporary world critically.