From the sixth to the eighth century A.D., Japan was the recipient of massive cultural infusions from China. This acceptance of the Chinese pattern included, and to a great extent was based on, the acceptance of the Chinese language. The Chinese writing system was applied to Japanese because there was no other model to follow and in spite of the…

The present issue of the Bulletin comprises articles that review broadly the development of higher education in 10 countries of the Asian region. Though not all countries are covered in the articles, those that are represent developments that have parallels in many other countries of the region. The countries covered by the articles are…

In many nations educators are fighting to build a curriculum that reflects the knowledge and beliefs of all peoples rather than a dominant political power group. This perspective is particularly significant when examining school discourse in Taiwan, a country with a long-standing multicultural population and a diverse history of alien occupations.…

John Thomson was a nineteenth-century British photojournalist who used the wet-plate process to illustrate his explorations of eastern and Southeast Asia. His travels from 1862 to 1872 took him to the following places, among others: Ceylon, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Saigon, Siam, mainland China, and Taiwan. Thomson chose to use the wet-plate…

Reviews the development of the oral history tradition in China. Identifies a number of problems that presently exist in the use of oral history in this country. (RKM)

The Centre for East Asian Cultural Studies (Tokyo) established in 1961 has been acting as a deposit center for Unesco microfilms of historical documents photographed in Asian countries since 1967. (Author)

A staggeringly inaccurate account of Asia's history and culture is being given to American school children by their textbooks. That is the sobering conclusion recently reached by more than 100 experts on Asia who were asked by the Asia Society to analyze 306 textbooks widely used in American schools. (Author)

An interpretive review of recently acquired archaeological evidence of the writing, seals, and city plans of the Indus Valley Civilization. (JB)

Discusses oral history in precolonial and more recent times in the Philippines, with particular emphasis on the activities of the Filipino institutions and scholars engaged currently in oral history projects. Projects are classified by geographical location in the Metro Manila area, in the Visayas, and in Mindanao. (DB)

During the Vietnam War, and the years following the conflict, history teachers were often hesitant to examine the war in the classroom for a variety of reasons. This article explores some of the factors that prohibited the effective teaching of the Vietnam War. Implications regarding how these inhibiting factors might affect teaching about the…

THE SECOND VOLUME OF THIS JAPANESE READING TEXT CONTAINS THE PHONEMIC TRANSCRIPTIONS, BACKGROUND NOTES, AND GLOSSES FOR THE READING SELECTIONS IN THE FIRST VOLUME. THE COMPREHENSIVE ANNOTATIONS ARE INDEXED TO THE READING SELECTIONS BY PAGE AND COLUMN NUMBER. SINCE THE READING SELECTIONS ARE NOT GRADED AND MAY BE READ IN ANY ORDER, THE ANNOTATIONS…

The culture and people of Japan are described from an ethnological/cultural anthropology viewpoint. The author begins his description with an introduction to the study of cultures and peoples. He then discusses the Japanese as a racial, ethnic, and language group. He later presents a historical/anthropological discussion of the formation of the…

Recommends using fictional works about modern Asian and African history as supplementary reading in history courses to enhance student understanding of culture. Provides an annotated list of novels that have been used successfully in these courses. Outlines useful strategies for using fiction in college level history courses. (BSR)

New data on the economic history of Tokugawa, Japan necessitate revisions in traditional and Marxist interpretations, many of which are no longer consistent with the available evidence. One major outcome of recent studies is the awareness of the continuities between Tokugawa and Meiji economic growth. (RM)

Discusses how the Chinese have recorded their history by dynasties, the length of time any one imperial clan could retain its hold on the Dragon Throne. Dynastic histories were used to instruct rulers in the ways ethical problems of government had been dealt with in the past. (AM)