Analysis of popular educational manga on World War II for students in Japan

This paper critically examines how three educational manga texts render the history of World War II for upper elementary, middle, and high school students in Japan. Informed by critical theory, the authors analyzed both linguistic (words) and nonlinguistic texts (illustrations) related to two major...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of peace education Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 241 - 262
Main Authors Monobe, Gumiko, Ruan, Jiening
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 01.09.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Cartoons
children's literature on wars
Content Analysis
Critical Theory
Educational manga
Elementary Secondary Education
Foreign Countries
global peace education
graphic non-fiction
High School Students
historic Japanese manga
Peace
Reading Materials
Teaching Methods
War
World History
World War II
Japan
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Summary:This paper critically examines how three educational manga texts render the history of World War II for upper elementary, middle, and high school students in Japan. Informed by critical theory, the authors analyzed both linguistic (words) and nonlinguistic texts (illustrations) related to two major World War II events in juxtaposition, namely, the Nanjing Massacre and U.S. attacks on Japan in each book due to their historical significance. We focused on whose perspective(s) and voice(s) are represented or silenced, which events were emphasized or minimized, and which information was dismissed or even possibly altered. The results suggest the constructed nature of the historical manga because each presents a different version of the two historical events. The creators of each manga employed several techniques including the use of different elements of texts and illustrations to convey their perspectives and point of view to their readers. This research calls for sound pedagogical practices for peace education when using books on the topic of war with young children and adolescents and offers recommendations.
ISSN:1740-0201
1740-021X
DOI:10.1080/17400201.2020.1819216