The Writing of History and the Conception of Time in the Narrative of Afghanistan

Kanō Jigorō (1860-1938), the founder of Kōdōkan Jūdō, is one of the most prominent representatives of modern Japanese martial arts and numerous books and articles have been written about his life. In this article I will focus on the biographical manga “Jūdō no rekishi – Kanō Jigorō no shōgai” (1987). This graphic biography was published under the editorship of the Kōdōkan and by analysing the techniques that are applied on the textual as well as pictorial level to create authenticity and historical facticity, we will get a better understanding of the strategies by which collective ideas and norms within a specific historical and cultural context are created in jūdō. Biographies are a hybrid genre that unfolds its effect and its power in the space between fiction and non-fiction. Biographies tell a life story by applying literary techniques: creating a narrative, (pre)structuring and – retrospectively - giving meaning to life in and for a preconceived context. Historians, accordingly, – and despite Hayden White’s general reflections on Clio’s influence on historical writings –, as well as sociologists have questioned the value of biographies for understanding the past, criticizing the genre for its “artificial creation of meaning” (Bourdieu, 1986) and reducing the biographer to a literary writer. With biographies becoming a success in popular culture, e.g. in films, manga, etc., the genre finally seems to comfortably settled in the land of fiction, far beyond reach and – maybe more important – the interest of historians. I will, however, argue that it is to early to discard biographies in popular media as ‘historical writing’.

During the colonial and well into the post-independence era, most history textbooks in Malaysian secondary schools were written by British civil servants who became academics later in their careers. This article appraises whether there is an autonomous history of Malaysia in its history textbooks, with reference to the textbooks used in the lower secondary, middle secondary and the upper secondary (pre-university) levels. Historical writings and interpretations of Malaysian history are also critically reviewed.

South African history books and textbooks have undergone a radical change, in step with the socio-political change and restructuring of education that occurred in 1994. On the basis of a transitiological perspective, this chapter contrasts the depiction of national leaders in pre- 1994 school history textbooks with that of post-1994 school history textbooks. The pre-1994 depiction was informed by an ideology of White supremacy, a paradigm of Euro-centrism and an Afrikaner ethnocentric perspective on history. In contrast, the post-1994 depiction is informed by an Africanist ethnocentric perspective. This shift is illustrated with a discussion of how former State President F. W. de Klerk and his successor President Nelson Mandela have been portrayed in history textbooks after 1994. The portrayals of national leaders in the pre- and post-1994 textbooks are then assessed in terms of the criterion that while history should be used for the development of the critical faculties of students, history textbooks should also nurture a respect for the history and the contributions of all segments of the diverse population of a country such as South Africa.

The chapter offers a global overview of current research in history education reforms and school history textbooks. History textbook research has been characterised by the ‘highly explosive political nature’ of history textbooks design and research (Fuchs, 2011). National and global debates in relation to history textbooks and the construction on national identity in the nation-building process are also defined and controlled by the ambivalent nexus between ideology and political expectations (that history textbooks contribute to national identity and patriotism), curricular assumptions (that quality history textbooks impact on pedagogical outcomes) and academic rigour and objectivity. History education and history curricular reforms globally demonstrate that history textbooks and their new Master Narratives, depicting significant events in the nation-building process, have been used by different nations to instil the values of patriotism, national identity and cultural heritage (Zajda, 2015c). The chapter concludes that a methodology, based on a blend of critical theory and discourse analysis, focusing on evidence and sources, the role of power and the state, unbiased interpretation and the multiperspectivity, is very useful in critiquing the overall reforms in history curricula and the content of school history textbooks.

The work of "us and the other" in the history textbook researches is one of the topics that attracted the attention of the researchers recently. In this research, “Us and the other” sample tried to determine how Iran and relations with Iran are explained in high school history textbooks taught in Turkey and how Turks and relations with Turks are explained in the high school history text book which was taught in Iran. The study was a qualitative research and document and record examination methods and techniques were used. The texts in Turkish history textbooks and Iranian history textbooks were examined using "Historical Abuse Methods". In the content of the texts in the history textbook titled "Iran and World History", which was taught in the 3rd grade class in General High School in Iran, the historical abuse methods with the Turks and relations with Turks was processed by using misleading, jumping and denying methods. Secondary education in Turkey "History 9th grade", "History 10th grade" “Contemporary Turkish and World History "textbooks on Iranian History and Iranian history textbooks were explored by using the jump method from historical abuse methods. ÖzetTarih ders kitapları araştırmalarında “biz ve öteki” çalışmaları son dönemlerde araştırmacıların ilgisini çeken konulardan biridir. Bu araştırmada biz ve öteki örnekleminde İran’da okutulan lise tarih ders kitabında Türkler ve Türklerle olan ilişkiler ile Türkiye’de okutulan lise tarih ders kitaplarında İran ve İranla olan ilişkilerin nasıl anlatıldığı tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışma nitel bir araştırma olup doküman ve belge incelemesi yöntem ve teknikleri kullanılmıştır. Türk tarih ders kitapları ile İran tarih ders kitaplarında yer alan metinler “Tarihi Kötüye Kullanma Yöntemleri” kullanılarak incelenmiştir. İran’da Genel Lise III. sınıf Edebiyat bölümünde okutulan “İran ve Dünya Tarihi” adlı tarih ders kitabındaki metinlerin içeriklerinde Türkler ve Türklerle İlişkiler tarihi kötüye kullanma yöntemlerinden yanıltma, atlama ve yadsıma yöntemi kullanılarak işlenmiştir. Türkiye’de ortaöğretim “Tarih 9. Sınıf”, “Tarih 10. Sınıf” ve “12. Sınıf Çağdaş Türk ve Dünya Tarihi” ders kitaplarındaki metin içeriklerinde İran Tarihi ve İranla ilişkiler tarihi kötüye kullanma yöntemlerinden atlama yöntemi kullanılarak işlenmiştir.

The current middle and high school history textbooks under the Revised Curriculum of 2015 are the first history textbooks developed amid the growing social interest in the importance of authorized history textbooks after the regime''s attempt at replacing old history textbooks with new government-designated ones. Today, authorized history textbooks are oriented toward the development of textbooks to present diverse perspectives reflecting the changing situations of the times and the research achievements of the academic circles instead of textbooks containing only a single perspective under the guidance of the government. The description perspective of a textbook serves as a starting line to establish what and how to look at history for students. In the current history textbooks, the perspective for the description of political history finds the accountability of the ruined nation in the failure of political management from factional politics to power politics. The economic and cultural history is described from the perspective of development with the symbolic elements of Western modernization set as a standard of pursuit. The social history describes the social class system and the rural community society from the perspective of discrimination and conflict. The current history textbooks keep almost the same perspectives and descriptions as the old government-designated textbooks within their larger framework of depicting the aspects of Joseon in its latter part. History textbooks need to have a narrative transition and offer students a chance to understand the times from more diverse perspectives so that they can align with the goals oriented by today''s history education. The descriptions of political history should help students figure out the various patterns of political management and changes during the latter part of Joseon according to historical causal relations. The descriptions of economic and cultural history should focus on development as an objective phenomenon based on proof and comparison and present reasonable historical meanings accordingly. The descriptions of social history should move students closer to the reality of Joseon society during its latter part based on the coexistence of conflict and integration. These proposals will hopefully lead to description changes in history textbooks through collaborations among researchers, teachers, and people concerned.

Schools have one characteristic that media and family do not. A “state-sponsored” means of promoting perceptions of the past, they are obligatory to attend in most countries. That means students don’t have a choice but to be exposed to a certain interpretation of facts and values. Among other classes, history class involves this exposure. Ideally, history textbooks should offer open-minded views, diverse perspectives on certain experiences, developments, events, and processes stemming from national and general history that carry messages corresponding to content based on science and established facts. Since in most cases of the demanding task of writing history textbooks there is room for numerous controversies, is it problematic when children are taught different “truths,” “facts,” and “values”? When they are taught that diversity is a major problem in multicultural societies? That the “others” are always perpetrators of the crimes? That there cannot be reconciliation with “them”? Because Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) never established official truth about events from the most recent war, this space for manipulation is wide open. Ironically, even if writers of history textbooks in BiH wish to include established facts, that would be not possible, since there is no such a thing. The only facts established according to the legal standards—“beyond reasonable doubt”—would be those in the final decision of the international and domestic courts dealing with war crimes committed in BiH between 1992 and 1995. What happens, then, if one brings together all the history textbooks in schools in BiH? What can found in them? And, most important, are they to be trusted?

This study examined the function of history textbook as the social and cultural tool and its relation with the national knowledge. Ruling group, who dominates the state, wants to influence on people’s thinking and action in order to support their policies and ideologies. They have the monopoly of interpreting historical facts, constructing ‘official history’ to serve as the cultural tool.BR The emphasis on people’s lack of historical knowledge is one way for ruling group to utilize history education as the mean for instilling their ideologies. An intention for excluding historical consciousness and critical thinking is included in the argument that people’s historical knowledge is insufficient. And they often drive the difference of interpreting historical facts among history textbooks to ideological conflict. On this pretext, they attempt to intensify the control of the course of making the history textbook and its contents, and include their historical perspective in the history textbook. National narrative is a typical representation including the ideology of state in the history textbook. It would get people to have the national identity and the pride as one of nation-state members. The national narrative used to describe as a story of freedom and development in Korea as well as U.S. The narrative of Syng-man Rhee government is the story of liberal democracy, whereas the story of Chung-hee Park government is the story of development. We should open the historical interpretation in history textbook and improve pupil’s critical thinking through history for overcoming this problem.

National narratives have often served to mobilize the masses for war by providing myths and distorted interpretations of the past, while conversely wars were major sources for producing national narratives. Because national history is very likely to remain a central topic in history education, albeit in ways that differ from how the topic was used fifty years ago, it is important to gain a greater understanding of the underlying structures and mechanisms of these narratives in history textbooks. After outlining the historical interconnectedness of the emerging nation states and history teaching, this review article explains the complexity of the history textbook as an educational resource. Next, we identify some current problems and challenges in history textbook research. We continue by discussing promising research trends related mainly to national narratives, such as the analysis of images, the use of digital tools, and studies of the autonomy of textbook narratives and of history textbooks in relation to other media. Another recent reorientation is textbook research that uses a holistic approach. By this we mean studies that examine the history textbook as a whole: composition, periodization, visual intertextuality and chapters that do not at first glance appear to focus on national history. These studies offer new insights and explanations for the perpetuation of national narratives in history textbooks.

This study focused on how historical contextualisation is reflected in 12 history textbooks for primary schools in Ghana. The study employed a content analysis design to analyse how historical contextualisation is reflected in history textbooks. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in selecting 12 textbooks to represent the 6 classes in the Ghanaian primary school. A thematic matrix was developed from historical thinking frameworks to collect data from the textbooks. Microsoft Excel functions were used to rate the textbooks on a scale of 0–5, depending on the amount of evidence of historical contextualisation. Descriptive statistics and Maton’s (2013) principle of shift in the Semantic Wave were used in the analysis to determine the level of evidence of historical contextualisation in the textbooks. The study established that historical contextualisation is reflected in the history textbooks used in the study. This study contributes to understanding how textbook writers incorporate historical contextualisation within textbook narratives to meet history curriculum requirements. It gives an understanding of how historical contextualisation is needed in history textbooks to promote historical reasoning among textbook users such as teachers and students. Possible implications of the findings are discussed in the main text.

This chapter draws on materials found in the UNESCO archive in Paris, the archive of the US National Commission to UNESCO in Washington, DC, and the little-explored private archive of Torres Bodet himself in Mexico City. In 1948, Jaime Torres Bodet became the second Director-General of UNESCO, and it was during his four years of service that specialized commissions and guidelines were established on the teaching of history for peace and international understanding. Focusing on the negotiations, struggles, and openings associated with UNESCO's education for international understanding programme, with a particular focus on history textbooks, requires a methodology emancipated from the national boundaries often found in historical writings. Silvio Zavala, one of its prominent members, participated in UNESCO's seminars and in the History of Mankind Project in the early 1950s, and its members' recommendations were central to the organizing of the future Comisin Nacional de Libros de Texto Gratuitos (CONALITEG) in 1959.

Memory wars in Asia still revolve around Japan. Much has been discussed on the so-called kyōkasho mondai (history textbook controversies), yet, not much has been explored on the domestic social function of history textbooks per se. Emphasizing creators of history narratives (and their production), the field tends to overlook the audience, or, receivers in the process. In this article, by referring to the original interviews with Japanese college students, I question the very assumption of the creator–receiver connection. How are history textbooks perceived as a source for promoting Japanese people’s underlying historical consciousness? How have they been utilized in schools? Are they useful? If so, how? If not, why? I argue that in the case of Japan, how people reflect upon history issues is not necessarily the function of school history textbooks as often assumed, making a strong case for the importance of receivers in the analysis of public discourse.

This article highlights the analysis of the textbook of universal history for the 9th grade, printed in China in the 1950s. The paper examines the features of the descriptions of Russia in the textbook, as well as the relationship between textbooks and the policy pursued by China during this period. Text criticism, linguoculturological and imagological analysis are the main methods of our research. The results of the work indicate that the Chinese government in the historical period considered in the textbook sought to form a certain image of Russia among schoolchildren, which was associated with events in Russian-Chinese relations. The study of Chinese history textbooks made it possible to analyze the historical perspective and cultural dynamics between Russia and China during the Cold War. The importance of studying history textbooks and their influence on the worldview of students is emphasized in the conclusions of the article. In addition, it is necessary to analyze the political and ideological goals that can be embedded in history textbooks. So, this study allowed us to understand more deeply the historical perspective of Russian-Chinese relations during the Cold War and to realize the importance of studying history textbooks. The results of the study can be used in the education system, as well as in research in the field of history and international relations.

South Africa and Russia share an intricate and complex historical relationship. At one time, Russia played as both an ally to the anti-Apartheid opposition as well as an enemy of the South African state. Given the straddling of ideological eras and the influence on South African politics, historically and contemporarily, how does South Africa represent this vital partnership in its programmatic curriculum or textbooks? This article focused on the representation of Russia in South African school history textbooks. This article focused on the phenomenon of representation guided by two research questions: how is Russia represented within South Africa’s school history textbooks, and why are they represented the way they are? Given South Africa and Russia’s significant historical, political and economic affiliations, it is essential to understand how South Africa represents its crucial partner in its history textbooks. Using qualitative content analysis, history textbooks for Grades 9, 11 and 12 (where Russia appeared) were analysed to understand how Russia was represented. What was found is that there is not only an overt focus on Russian history but Russia’s history is largely presented as a history great men. The textbooks focus on key male leaders rather than key events. Specific key events identified in the textbooks lack in detail as the focus lies on male leaders and their decision. In addition, despite the large content coverage dedicated to Russia, very little specific detail is provided and thus, more of a superficial historical coverage emerges. Finally, a fragmented historical representation appears across the textbooks.

History education is usually conducted through history textbooks, and the history narrative in history textbooks is the factor that has the greatest influence on students' understanding of history. In this study, by analyzing the achievement standards of the history curriculum, the types of historical narratives in Korean history textbooks were classified into 4 types: ①Narrative as a context of change, ②Nrrative as causality, ③Narrative a synthesis of individual facts [phenomena], ④Narrative as interpretation or mode of thought. Also, based on the hierarchy of historical narratives, they were classified into Macro Narratives, Meso Narratives, and Micro Narratives. Based on the latter three types, among the historical narratives of historical Korean history textbooks, as examples of macroscopic narratives, Nation narratives, Nationalist narratives, and Internal Development Narratives were selected. These Macro Narratives were mainly the ones that were criticized. In this study, apart from seeking alternatives such as reconstruction of macro narratives such as national and national narratives, macro narratives were deconstructed in a transitional situation and a history textbook composition was proposed focusing on micro narratives and intermediate narratives. It is to dismantle the form of history outlines taken by historical Korean history textbooks. It was also suggested that the sequence of history textbooks leading to elementary, middle, and high schools be secured in the form of reconstructing the four types of historical narratives that I have classified.