Teaching Comparative

Political Socialization and the Role of History

Socialization is one of those concepts we need to consider when comparing political systems. The New York Times report on new history textbooks in Shanghai schools offers a glimpse of one system, and could become the basis for thinking about and discussing socialization in other places. Students could, for example, hypothesize about how current governments in other countries might affect -- or want to affect -- the content and featured ideas in history textbooks.

Some of the contentious issues about the role and nature of history probably sound familiar to American teachers, but the Chinese context creates a very different kind of debate.

If the changes spread from the Shanghai region across the country, they could very well help accelerate change in the future. And, they will provoke reaction of some kind. What will it be?

Where’s Mao? Chinese Revise History Books

"When high school students in Shanghai crack their history textbooks this fall they may be in for a surprise. The new standard world history text drops wars, dynasties and Communist revolutions in favor of colorful tutorials on economics, technology, social customs and globalization.

"Socialism has been reduced to a single, short chapter in the senior high school history course. Chinese Communism before the economic reform that began in 1979 is covered in a sentence. The text mentions Mao only once — in a chapter on etiquette.

"Nearly overnight the country’s most prosperous schools have shelved the Marxist template that had dominated standard history texts since the 1950’s. The changes passed high-level scrutiny, the authors say, and are part of a broader effort to promote a more stable, less violent view of Chinese history that serves today’s economic and political goals...

"The one-party state, having largely abandoned its official ideology, prefers people to think more about the future than the past.

"The new text focuses on ideas and buzzwords that dominate the state-run media and official discourse: economic growth, innovation, foreign trade, political stability, respect for diverse cultures and social harmony...

"The French and Bolshevik Revolutions, once seen as turning points in world history, now get far less attention. Mao, the Long March, colonial oppression of China and the Rape of Nanjing are taught only in a compressed history curriculum in junior high.

“'Our traditional version of history was focused on ideology and national identity,' said Zhu Xueqin, a historian at Shanghai University. 'The new history is less ideological, and that suits the political goals of today.'...

"Many scholars said they did not regret leaving behind the Marxist perspective in history courses. It is still taught in required classes on politics. But some criticized what they saw as an effort to minimize history altogether. Chinese and world history in junior high have been compressed into two years from three, while the single year in senior high devoted to history now focuses on cultures, ideas and civilizations...

"Socialism is still referred to as having a 'glorious future.' But the concept is reduced to one of 52 chapters in the senior high school text. Revolutionary socialism gets less emphasis than the Industrial Revolution and the information revolution...

"The Shanghai textbook revisions do not address many domestic and foreign concerns about the biased way Chinese schools teach recent history. Like the old textbooks, for example, the new ones play down historic errors or atrocities like the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and the army crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in 1989...

"The new textbooks de-emphasize dynastic change, peasant struggle, ethnic rivalry and war, some critics say, because the leadership does not want people thinking that such things matter a great deal. Officials prefer to create the impression that Chinese through the ages cared more about innovation, technology and trade relationships with the outside world.

"Mr. Zhou, the Shanghai scholar who helped write the textbooks, says the new history does present a more harmonious image of China’s past. But he says the alterations 'do not come from someone’s political slogan,' but rather reflect a sea change in thinking about what students need to know.

“'The government has a big role in approving textbooks,' he said. 'But the goal of our work is not politics. It is to make the study of history more mainstream and prepare our students for a new era.'”

posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:00 AM