Uneasy Subjectivity: Exclusion and Inclusion of Japanese Colonial History in Taiwanese Middle School Textbooks

• In Event: 35.082 - Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: 35.082-20 - Teaching Critically

Abstract

This study, by the method of discourse analysis, seeks to unpack how the history of the Japanese colonization of Taiwan is taught within the guidelines and textbook content of the current curriculum. It attempts to understand exclusion and inclusion of this historical period within Taiwanese history textbooks as well as to find out what types of social context and possible political motives might be responsible. Inspired by post-colonial theories, this study unveils a fluid and dynamic politics of knowledge and identity driven by various political powers. We argue that political powers all struggle for legitimacy in the space of textbooks and thus inscribe the content of textbooks. More importantly, these textbooks reflect a process of Taiwanese hybrid identification and subjectivity.

Authors

• Yun-Shiuan (Viola) Chen, National Academy for Educational Research, Taiwan

• Li-Hsin Wang, National Academy for Educational Research