The Changing Face of War in Textbooks: Depictions of World War II and Vietnam, 1970-2009
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| Title: | The Changing Face of War in Textbooks: Depictions of World War II and Vietnam, 1970-2009 |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Lachmann, Richard, Mitchell, Lacy |
| Source: | Sociology of Education. Jul 2014 87(3):188-203. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2014 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research Information Analyses |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Textbooks, War, Asian History, United States History, Armed Forces, Military Personnel, Personal Narratives, Activism, Hidden Curriculum, Individualism, Military Service, Death, Textbook Content, Content Analysis, Textbook Research |
| Geographic Terms: | United States, Vietnam |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0038040714537526 |
| ISSN: | 0038-0407 |
| Abstract: | How have U.S. high school textbook depictions of World War II and Vietnam changed since the 1970s? We examined 102 textbooks published from 1970 to 2009 to see how they treated U.S. involvement in World War II and Vietnam. Our content analysis of high school history textbooks finds that U.S. textbooks increasingly focus on the personal experiences of soldiers, rather than presenting impersonal accounts of battles, and are increasingly likely to focus on soldiers' suffering rather than glorify combat. This shift is greater for Vietnam than for World War II. We also find increasing attention in textbooks to the fact, but not the substance, of protests against the Vietnam War. These changes provide more support for theories that view textbooks as sites of contestation or expressions of a world culture of individualism rather than purveyors of a hidden curriculum of nationalistic militarism. Future research on textbook production and comparisons of U.S. versus other countries' textbooks might show how much of the change is particular to the United States, perhaps due to the Vietnam War, or attributable to global changes in military conscription, tolerance for casualties, and attitudes toward individual rights and group obligations. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 28 |
| Entry Date: | 2014 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1030627 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | How have U.S. high school textbook depictions of World War II and Vietnam changed since the 1970s? We examined 102 textbooks published from 1970 to 2009 to see how they treated U.S. involvement in World War II and Vietnam. Our content analysis of high school history textbooks finds that U.S. textbooks increasingly focus on the personal experiences of soldiers, rather than presenting impersonal accounts of battles, and are increasingly likely to focus on soldiers' suffering rather than glorify combat. This shift is greater for Vietnam than for World War II. We also find increasing attention in textbooks to the fact, but not the substance, of protests against the Vietnam War. These changes provide more support for theories that view textbooks as sites of contestation or expressions of a world culture of individualism rather than purveyors of a hidden curriculum of nationalistic militarism. Future research on textbook production and comparisons of U.S. versus other countries' textbooks might show how much of the change is particular to the United States, perhaps due to the Vietnam War, or attributable to global changes in military conscription, tolerance for casualties, and attitudes toward individual rights and group obligations. |
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| ISSN: | 0038-0407 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0038040714537526 |
