A Comparative Analysis of U.S. and Chinese History Textbooks’ Narratives on 20th Century U.S. Imperialism

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Accessing Historical Content: Analyzing Materials for Learning History

Abstract

The logic of U.S. imperialism justifies global dominance through portraying the U.S. as a force for good. Research has shown that U.S. history textbooks perpetuate such logic, but few research compares U.S. textbooks with other countries’ textbooks on this topic. Using critical content analysis, this research compares U.S. and Chinese textbooks’ narratives of 20th century U.S. imperialism. Findings show that Chinese textbooks portray the U.S. as an aggressive hegemon that undermined China’s sovereignty, while U.S. textbooks justify U.S. imperialism as a defense against Soviet aggression and portray the U.S. as a positive actor. U.S. educators can reveal the logic of U.S. imperialism by introducing these alternative narratives in their classrooms.

Authors

• Chenyu Li, Indiana University - South Bend

• Kason Kendall, Utah State University