The origin of teaching as a profession in Japan: A transnational analysis of the relationship between professionalism and nationalism in the 19th century

Abstract

Abstract:How was the concept of «teaching as a profession» 1 advocated in the 19 th century? In this study, this question is analysed by focusing on how the Japanese version of the concept was imported from the West and subsequently transformed in this non-Christian setting. It was formulated not only by a national action to create a strong centralized nation-state in Asia, but also through the transnational interaction of European, American, and Japanese educational leaders. First, the author argues that, the early Japanese concept of «teaching as a profession» is explored by examining the ideas of Mori Arinori, the first Minister of Education. Mori claimed that, in order to safeguard children's morality, teaching should be a holy-calling profession in Japan. For him, this meant educating the subsequent generations to be obedient to their holy nation. Second, Mori's images of education are shown to be consistent with those in the United States, where he had studied as a diplomat. These images were shared not only by US leaders such as Horace Mann, but also with Prussian and French leaders of the era. In both countries, both the holy-calling theory and the profession theory included nationalism, whose ultimate aim was education for the nation. However, while the sacredness of the republican polity was based on the ideals of individualism and liberty in the United States, the sacredness of the imperial polity in Japan was promoted by the Emperor the apotheosis of the imperial line, unbroken for ages eternal. These historical origins of the concept of teaching suggest why the professionalisation of teaching in Japan has been advanced by forces that hoist the flag of national particularism, and by a government that supports this view. This implies that teaching professionalism does not always connote democracy or the human rights of children/teachers.

Comparing Pre-service Civic Education Teachers’ TPACK Confidence Across Course Modes

“…Teaching is a complex activity requiring various knowledge, specific skills, and attitudes. Teaching activities involve aspects of personal quality and professional competency (Guzman & Nussbaum, 2009;Haider & Jalal, 2018;Meijer, Korthagen, & Vasalos, 2009;Srinivasan et al, 2011;Walsh et al, 2018), which will become a passion (Celik, 2017) as well as a profession (Sakuma, 2018) should it be conducted continuously and repeatedly. A classic theory stated The approaches toward teacher education programs in many countries, and specifically in Indonesia, do not yet integrate TPACK in the curriculum.…”

Memoria y representación de la expansión por el este asiático y la Segunda Guerra Mundial en los libros de texto de historia de Educación Secundaria de uso mayoritario en Japón: Análisis documental

“…Como señalan Fujiwara y Nosco (2018), el nuevo estado Meiji usó las nociones de identidad racial y superioridad cultural de esta corriente para impulsar el apoyo al nacionalismo y a un supuesto destino internacional de Japón. Desde la Era Taisho (1912)(1913)(1914)(1915)(1916)(1917)(1918)(1919)(1920)(1921)(1922)(1923)(1924)(1925)(1926) hasta las dos primeras décadas de la Era Showa , el gobierno ejerció un control intenso para ensalzar los valores morales y tradicionales e inculcar una lealtad férrea al Emperador (Sakuma, 2018), todo apoyado por una política educativa militarizada. Esta tradición arraigó en el país y se intensificó tras la movilización de docentes y estudiantes contra el currículo nacionalista, la Segunda Guerra Sino-Japonesa que comenzó en 1937 y el estallido de la Guerra Asia-Pacífico en 1941.…”