Abstract
Meiji Japan’s nation-building project redefined language as a tool for shaping ethno-linguistic identities, turning Japanese speakers into citizens of a modern state. Central to this transformation was the role of school education, which socialized children into national citizenship to and through a reconceptualized Japanese language. This project explores how Meiji-era school textbooks served as key a medium in this process, focusing on the interplay of familial interaction, national identity, and state ideology. While previous scholarship has examined the education system and language within Meiji Japan, research on the sociolinguistic dynamics of the school setting remains limited. My project addresses this gap by analyzing historical texts through the lens of language socialization and social constructivism. Specifically, I investigate how kokugo (lit. national language) textbooks taught the national language and shaped perceptions of social relationships, particularly towards family, the Emperor, and the nation. I analyze how lexicon, grammar, and narrativity in these textbooks encoded ideologies about communication, action, and emotion within the family, focusing on the child’s social identity and loyalty to both parents and the state. I argue that the language in these textbooks indexes familial power dynamics, positioning fathers with epistemic authority. This reflects a broader ideological structure, where parental authority is transposed onto imperial authority, socializing children into a national identity centered on subservience and loyalty. Through these processes, the textbooks contributed to shaping a cohesive national citizenry in early Meiji Japan.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Communications and Linguistic Studies
KEYWORDS
LANGUAGE SOCIALIZATION, IMPERIALIST IDEOLOGY, CO-CONSTRUCTION, EPISTEMIC STATUS, MULTIMODALITY, NATION-STATE, FAMILY
