Identitätsbildung durch Geschichtsschulbücher

Japan’s colonial rule in Manchuria, lasting from about 1905 to 1945, rapidly evolved through various stages of development culminating in the establishment of the puppet state of Manshūkoku in 1932. Colonial policy was shaped and complicated by a number of conflicting influences such as the exigencies of colonial administration, the clash of purpose between colonial master and colonial subjects, confrontation with the recently created national state of China, and the ethnic diversity of the ruled areas. An examination of the teaching of history at Japanese schools in Manchuria provides insight into the outcome of these policies at the local level. In particular, a comparison of colonial textbooks of history used in primary education for Japanese and Chinese pupils provides a means of analyzing the manipulation of historical images. Furthermore, this approach has also shed some critical light on the historical background to Japanese colonial education.