著者

上原 直人

出版者

東京大学

雑誌

生涯学習・社会教育学研究 (ISSN:1342193X)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.28, pp.1-9, 2003-12-25

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Today, the Fundamental Law of Education is facing amendment. The intention of educating the Japanese to take part in the Formation of Nation and Society voluntarily is being reflected on Article VIII "Political Education". To make clear the background of this expectation for amendment, I discuss the cause of this intention mainly from a historical broad view, leading us to understand how the relationship between Nation and Individual has changed for a long history. Moreover, I analyze the details of the past studies and practices on political education from Postwar Educational Reform up to the present. Through the analysis and discussion, I can point out the following points. First, an argument on Article VIII "Political Education" originated in the process of having established the Fundamental Law of Education during Postwar Reform Period. Surprisingly, the idea of "Japanese Democracy", which does not make any contradiction between the Emperor system of Japan and Democracy, is found in the first low. Second, the interesting features exist in the process of Article VIII "Political Education" : 1) they had thought that political education should be legislated as an independent article at the stage of planning for Fundamental Law of Education. 2) they had not discussed well the contents of political education although they had argued how to control the teachers'political activities at school. 3) the meaning of the word "komin" or "seijikyouiku" had been discussed in relation with that during Prewar times. Finally, although the study about political education had been developed from the Postwar Period, "Political Education" has rarely been main concern for Education itself after 1970's. This may because that the ideas on political education have been penetrated individually into each of fields, such as human rights education, welfare education, environmental education, peace education, multi-cultural education, international understanding education, and so on, which have been recently doveloped.