Remembering Different Pasts: An Analysis of History Textbooks in Mainland China and Taiwan

• In Event: 16.018 - Confronting the Past in Transnational Textbooks, Schooling, and Curriculum

Abstract

Studies demonstrated that revisions to history textbooks can be the result of changes in a state’s interests, resulting in conflicting accounts of historical events in history textbooks that represent the political ideologies of different nations. Limited research examined the representation of specific historical events in the high school history textbooks of Mainland China and Taiwan. This investigation analyzed two widely used textbook series in Mainland China and Taiwan and focused on the accounts of four armed conflicts. Findings indicate that these textbooks present different accounts of historical events and that these represent official historical narratives that reflect the differing political ideologies of Mainland China and Taiwan and that these narratives provide students with collective memories of the past.

Author

• Anyi Ye, The Pennsylvania State University - Abington