Weatherley, R;
Magee, C;
(2018)
Using the Past to Legitimise the Present: The Portrayal of Good Governance in Chinese History Textbooks.
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
, 47
(1)
pp. 41-69.
10.1177/186810261804700102.
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Abstract
This article examines how Chinese middle-school history textbooks are written as a means of legitimising the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), by carefully utilising China's past. The authors identify (or perhaps “construct”) a sinified model of good governance in the textbooks that derives from the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and the subsequent practises of certain revered Chinese emperors. This model is then applied to CCP leaders in the modern-era textbooks in order to cast them as diligently upholding a time-honoured Chinese tradition of legitimate rule. In a broader context, our analysis fits within the ongoing discussions about the continuing legacy of Confucianism in contemporary China and the CCP's efforts to locate itself within this as a way of fortifying its own legitimacy. We also note how some of the themes of good governance contained in the textbooks are closely linked to contemporary government policies and priorities, such as anti-corruption schemes and constitutionalism. The objective in so doing is to propagate the importance of these themes to a young audience.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Using the Past to Legitimise the Present: The Portrayal of Good Governance in Chinese History Textbooks |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1177/186810261804700102 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/186810261804700102 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 License (https://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work as published without adaptation or alteration, provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
| Keywords: | China, history, legitimacy, Confucianism, textbooks |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Education, Practice and Society |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10116416 |
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