공통부교재를 통한 동아시아 역사청산과 역사화해의 성과와 한계

Abstract

Since Japanese right wing nationalists first published middle school textbooks that beautified the colonization and the act of invasion, the scholars, teachers, and citizens of the three countries – Korea, China, and Japan – published a total of 8 kinds of common sub-textbooks as alternatives to the former textbooks. All of these auxiliary textbooks aim at history clearance and reconciliation through sharing history awareness. These efforts promoted diverse history dialogues between Korea and Japan and between Korea and China and Japan, and have played a positive role in various exchanges including youth exchanges. Nevertheless, skeptical responses as to whether it is possible to have history awareness or to make textbooks that Korea, China, Japan, and by extension, East Asia can have in common have been constantly raised. Naturally, the sharing of history awareness at East Asia level has limitations. The first problem is how to overcome the modern historical studies’ fundamental mission of cultivating the people. The second problem is how to overcome the fever of nationalism and patriotism that have accelerated after the end of cold war. The third problem is how to overcome the risk that the common history awareness might be used to build another boundaries. These problems have all fundamental nature and are hard to solve. This thesis proposes that, based on the outcomes of making common sub-textbooks that have been achieved up to the present, the ways of writing textbooks of each country in East Asia be explored. Concretely, this is to prepare the recommendations that can be reflected on the textbook writing criteria of each country concerned. And I assert that the principles of the recommendations should start with the task of colonialism clearance and history awareness of mutual coexistence as shown in the experience of preparing common sub-textbooks. And they should also agree with the universal values such as democracy, human rights, and environment.