Efforts have been made among scholars from Japan, South Korea, and China since the 1980s--on both private and state initiatives--to narrow the gaps in their historiographies and to cultivate mutual understanding. This article offers an extensive discussion of the author's history project, "A Student Project of Writing a Common History…

This historical study reflects on history curriculum debates over the last 20 years in Taiwan. To open up possibilities for contemporary Taiwanese to rethink themselves in terms of national culture and subjectivity, this paper explores the construction of Taiwanese subjectivity in the past. It focuses on the history of Taiwan under Japanese…

The legacy of crimes committed during the Second World War in East Asia is still a stumbling block for reconciliation and trustful cultural relations between South Korea, China and Japan. The presentation of this issue in history school books is in the focus of a heated public and academic debate. This book written by historians and pedagogues…

This paper discusses the Japanese history textbook controversy over "comfort women" to tease out insights that help globalize the existing theoretical discussion of politics of school knowledge. I begin by documenting how the domestic struggles over Japanese history textbooks are empowered and dis empowered by the regional and…

The book is entitled History Wars in the Classroom: Global Perspectives and examines how ten separate countries have experienced debates and disputes over the contested nature of the subject, for example the "Black Armband" and "Whitewash" factions in Australia who adopt opposingly celebratory or denigratory views of Australian…

The Second World War stands as the most devastating and destructive global conflict in human history. More than 60 nations representing 1.7 billion people or three quarters of the world's population were consumed by its horror. Not surprisingly, therefore, World War II stands as a landmark episode in history education throughout the world and its…

Although inter-religious conflicts have not yet surfaced as major social problems in Japan, religious education for peace and tolerance is needed in the country as much as in other countries. This article aims to disclose that, in light of political contexts, supposedly neutral "teaching about religion" can be as problematic as history…

A model is used to provide a framework for secondary teachers of intercultural studies who wish to compare and contrast developing nations and, further, to identify characteristics of the nature of the society to determine the nations' modernity. Although C. E. Black's model is general, i.e. it applies to all countries, the author applies this…

The Tokyo (Japan) October 2000 meeting of experts on History Teaching in Japan and the Russian Federation was organized by the International Society for Educational Information (ISEI) and the Council of Europe. This was the second meeting, following the initial 1999 St. Petersburg (Russia) meeting conducted to increase mutual understanding in the…

Contends that regional studies, such as Asian studies, can engage students more actively than a traditional global approach to world history. Delineates the author's objectives in teaching a course in Asian studies. Outlines the subjects covered in the course's units on China, Japan, and Korea. (DSK)

This study assessed the extent to which information about Japan is taught in secondary world history classrooms in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The sample used for this study was 475 world history teachers, randomly selected, in K-12 school districts scattered across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. A 21-item questionnaire was mailed to each of…

This secondary level curriculum guide provides a program and identifies materials for the study of the history and culture of China and Japan. The purpose of the course is to provide exercises that require students to research, question, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate historical data. Each lesson contains behavior and content objectives,…

Asserts that South Korea can be an excellent subject for an effective unit on history, economic development, critical thinking skills, and cross-cultural understanding. Provides background information and a list of teacher resources for planning a unit on South Korea. (CFR)

Presents results of a questionnaire asking Japanese teachers how and what they teach about World War II. Reports that survey included broad and narrow questions on the war in Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. Concludes that Japan's postwar peace education has been a success but that more emphasis needs to be placed on cause and effect in history. (DK)

The purpose of this quarterly publication from the Asian Studies Project is to promote increased attention to Asian Studies in elementary and secondary education. This issue of the newsletter contains introductory comment on current affairs as well as two main articles: "On the Study of World Cultures" by Dr. Kishorkant Yajnik of India…