Pedagogisation of nation identity through textbook narratives in China: 1902–1948

Abstract

How to construct a national collective identity in a diversified population becomes a challenge for many nation states. Focusing on the tension between diversity, citizenship and national identity, this article adopts the lens of the pedagogical state to analyse national identity construction in Chinese political education textbooks published between 1902 and 1948. The purpose of this research was to explore the pedagogical mechanisms with which the textbook narratives accommodate the tensions of diversity in a culturally heterogeneous population and transmit a newly invented national identity (‘the Chinese nation’, Zhonghua minzu) to the masses. Two general rationales of persuasion are identified in the textbooks: narrative of origin and narrative of promise. Framing the analysis in China's citizenship project by the state, this study argues that the textbooks lead the general public into a citizenship identity contract on the grounds of the two rationales.

Keywords::

• citizenship
• diversity
• national identity
• textbook
• China
• pedagogical state

Acknowledgement

The research was funded by a Hong Kong Institute of Education Internal Research Grant (RG72/2011-2012). The author is very grateful indeed to Dr James Leibold for his thoughtful comments and suggestions on an early version of the paper and Ms. Abigail Alyn Grose for her assistance in the language editing. Thanks also go to two anonymous reviewers and Editors of Citizenship Studies who provided comprehensive and constructive comments.

Notes

^1. There are various translations of the term Zhonghua minzu in the English literature, such as ‘the Chinese nationality’, ‘the Chinese nation’, ‘the Chinese race’, ‘greater Chinese nation’, ‘Chinese’, ‘the Chinese people’ and ‘Zhonghua nation’. For further discussion, see Baranovitch (2010), Dikötter (1992), Leibold (2006, 2012), and Fitzgerald (1995, 1996).

^2. Most extracts of the textbooks are translated by the author, except one that is quoted from other English sources. The translation of local terms is referenced with the other English literature published by both Chinese and non-Chinese scholars.

^3. The English translation of this extract is quoted from Leibold (2012, 354–355).