China In The Western History Textbook: A Comparative Study Of The Five High School Textbooks

Textbooks reflect the traditions a society has formed over decades or centuries. History textbook analysis has emerged in the beginning of the 20th century as a part of attempt to reconcile international conflicts and long-standing animosities. There were several projects conducted in recent years that compare history textbooks of East Asian countries. This paper analyses the presentation of Chinese history in high school textbooks of five countries (Croatia, France, Russia, Spain, and USA). The analysis is both quantitative and qualitative. Despite many methodological obstacles, we came to several relevant conclusions. We found that the amount of Chinese history presented in textbooks varies greatly from country to country, mostly depending on curricula. We have outlined the periods, topics, persons etc. that are emphasized as well as those that are neglected and analyzed the textbook presentation of several controversial topics. The results can be valuable guideline for textbook authors, as well as a contribution to understanding of how western countries perceive China.