The Importance of Strengthening Australian Studies in World History Teaching and the Reflection of the Missing Parts of Australia and Oceania in Textbooks

Zhang Qiusheng Gao Wenyan

Australian Studies Centre，Xuzhou Normal University，Xuzhou，Jiangsu

Australia is an important country in Asia-Pacific region. Since 1970s-1980s, with the orientation of the international economy, as a big country famous for its agriculture, stockbreeding and mineral resources and immigration, the economic and political status of Australia within Asia-Pacific region is becoming more and more significant and Australia has a closer relationship with China. The number of Chinese scholars researching Australia is increasing. Although the history of Australia itself is short, many significant historical events really made tremendous influence on the development of world history, bearing the special historical status. Lecturing and researching Australian history will do good to recognize the trend of economic globalization and regional integration, help to comprehend the fact that the world history is an inter-independent whole gradually formed by all parts of region and ethnics all over the world and thus advance the development of bilateral relations and Australian-Asian relations. However, for subjective and objective reasons, the history of Europe, Northern America, Asia, Africa and Latin America are dominated in the world history teaching in China, taking little notice of Australia in textbooks and having insufficient class hours and deficient contents.

Based on the author’s long-term research and teaching, this article mainly refer to the following three aspects: 1. why we should research Australia? 2. Arguments of the missing parts of Australia and Oceania in world history textbooks 3. Some suggestions and survey proposal

1. Why we should research Australia?

1.1 Australia’s political and economic status in Asian-Pacific region is increasingly important.

Australia is a vast and also under populated country. In 1995, the US Fortune magazine evaluated that its comprehensive strength and power occupied the world first according to the population, the resources, and the national territory and so on overall target computation. Australia is a country of occident politically, with a traditional contact with Britain and America. Oriented in Asia-Pacific, it also has a friendly contact with Southeast Asian countries, and Australia, as the advocator and founder of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), plays an important role in promoting the development of the Asia-Pacific region and the economic cooperation.

1.2 Australia has a closer relationship with China.

In the mid-19th century the Australian gold rush time, Chinese laborers went to Australia once to reach as high as 50,000-60,000 people in the 1850s, opening the Sino-Australian relations prologue. In 1909, the Qing government established the General Consulate in Melbourne. In 1941 the Kuomintang Government and Australia established diplomatic relations. In 1972, Australia and People’s Republic of China officially established diplomatic relations, the bilateral relations developed quickly afterward. 2002 was the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia, the bilateral volume of trade has amounted to 20 billion AUD, and China and Australia signed a gas contract 25 billion AUD. The bilateral volume of trade has amounted to 50 billion AUD in 2007, and China has exceeded Japan, becoming the biggest trading partner of Australia. Exchange of visits between leaders of both sides is frequent. The bilateral leaders exchange visits frequently (in 2001, 2003 and 2006 Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao visited Australia successively, gained the common agreement to establish mutual beneficial strategic partnership facing the 21st century). Since China’s reform and opening up, the massive new immigrants have gone to Australia, once reached as high as 60 thousand. Now the overseas Chinese Australian have 600 thousand, accounts for the Australian total population 3%, and the overseas Chinese Australians actively participate in political affairs. Sydney deputy mayor, Melbourne mayors are Chinese, and more and more members of national assembly, state congressmen are Chinese. In November, 2007 Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd came on the stage, Huang Yingxian was appointed as meteorology and water resources Minister, the first Chinese descent and Asian female minister entered in cabinet. The Sino-Australian sisters’ provinces/ states established one after another, the number of which has reached 68 pairs. The communications on science and technology, the education and the culture were deepening between the two countries.

1.3 the need to academic research

1.3.1 the need to global world history research

Great attention has been paid to the history of big countries and their international relations, ignoring the second-class capitalist country research in China’s history teaching in colleges and universities. Australia is an immigrant country carrying out multicultural policy. The founding of the nation is about 200 years, and rapidly entered the developed country ranks. Studying the Australian history and the culture is helpful to the understanding world history development tendency, the economic globalization and the local integration tendency, is helpful in comprehending the fact that the world history is an inter-independent whole gradually formed by all parts of region and ethnics all over the world and thus advance the development of bilateral relationship and Australian-Asian relations.

1.3.2 the need to China’s Big Neighborhood Diplomacy (Dazhoubian Diplomacy)

South Pacific Ocean has 14 island countries, 8 countries established diplomatic relations with mainland, and another 6 established diplomatic relations with Taiwan. It’s very necessary for us to unite with them to oppose to the Taiwan independence. Australia, as a South Pacific great nation, is the local agent of the US interests; its diplomacy follows with the US in many aspects. It’s necessary for us not only to urgently study Australian and the South Pacific island countries’ relations and their histories but also importantly research history of Chinese and foreign relations, what’s more ,it can also be crucial to national security.

2．The Missing Parts of Australia and Oceania in world history Textbooks

6 volumes World history compiled by Wu Yujing, as the history teaching textbooks which generally used by most colleges and universities in China, has been highly recommended by Instruction Committee of history discipline teaching and was awarded the excellent prize by National Committee of Education. This series reflected the authors’ global view of world history, but at the same time, inevitably had some insufficiencies, for instance, it was so emphasized historical characteristics, but neglected and even separated the area historical development continuity. What’s worse, it never mentioned Australian and Oceania’s history. The same phenomena existed in other teaching books. The main missing parts are as follows:

1) There were human beings in Australia 40,000-50,000 years ago. Indigenous ancestors have created the splendid ancient civilization. The culture of American Indians is referred in textbooks, but Australian Aboriginal culture is not referred.

2) Europeans looking for the south continent in the South Pacific during 16-18 century should be seen as the end of the Geographic Discovery, and Captain Cook arriving Australia in 1768 culminated. The world has seven continents, their discoveries varies successively, but the “world general history” should have the corresponding record and the narration, should have conforms to the unification space and time view.

3) Later period of the 19th century, Australian labor movement started to emerge, requested to implement one of most early 8 hour working system. But the origin of 8 hour working system issue, only mentioned the American labor movement, taking no notice of Australia.

4) Since the establishment of Commonwealth of Australia in 1900, Australian stepped into one of the most developed capital countries in the world. Every country has its own characteristic modernized path. Western modernized path cannot just narrate Europe and America models.

5) Australia involved in the world antifascist war during 1939-1945, became one of the main anti-fascism strengths in Pacific Theater and allied nations’ Rear base, and has made the important contributions.

6) After World War II, Australia integrated in the international society positively. In 1949, Evart was appointed as the United Nations Secretary General, playing an influential role in the United Nations.

7) Since 1980s, Australia has become one of the leading countries in Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation, playing the leading role in promoting Asian and Pacific region development and the economic cooperation aspect.

8) Oceania and the South Pacific altogether 14 island countries have the important strategic meaning to China’s Big Neighborhood Diplomacy. 7 countries established diplomatic relations with mainland, 7 countries and Taiwan established diplomatic relations. Little was mentioned about Oceania and the South Pacific Island countries’ history and the present situation in textbooks of world ancient history, world modern history, world contemporary history, even is blank. This blank we should fill to maintain the integrity of world history.

9) Australia is one of most early countries realized welfare systems, which we could benefit from. It’s worth studying its origin and the evolution.

10) Australia’s environmental protection policy is worthy for us to study. Sydney Olympic Games turned out to be a green Olympic Games. Melbourne twice was evaluated by the United Nations the most suitable living city in the world, Australian capital Canberra is the world garden city. The history of Australia’s environmental protection policy history evolution is a potential research area.

 

3. Some suggestions and survey proposals

It’s accept that the history of the occident and Asia, Africa and Latin American countries hold the dominant position in the world history teaching in many China’s colleges and universities. However, the contents of Australia refer less, and the deficiency in the teaching contents and class hours exist, incompatible with the study of the world history. I suggest doing related surveys. The main content of investigation including the following aspects:

1. Taking the teaching of world history in Jiangsu Province and eastern China region as the major investigation scope, meanwhile, the famous universities in other cities (such as Beijing, Xi’an, Wuhan, Guangzhou) are also included. The investigation covers from the textbooks they used to their class hours and teaching content (focus on history department in universities).

2. The focus of investigation: (1) the proportion of Australia history in the world ancient, modern and contemporary history in textbooks; (2) the significant content of Australia and Oceania history reflected in textbooks; (3) the arrangement of teaching class hours (including compulsory courses and elective courses); (4) the teachers’ teaching viewpoints, attitude and suggestions.

3. The forms of investigation: (1) look up the textbooks of world history published by Chinese Press since 1990s, including the textbooks used by Australian Universities. Statistics analysis will be made by skilled experts; (2) questionnaires, visits, colloquium and symposia forms will be taken in the related universities.

4. Based on the statistics and materials, the report of investigation and thesis will be written and published in some relevant academic periodicals, magazines or other publications.

5. Based on the investigational materials, the condition of Xuzhou Normal University in Jiangsu province and personal teaching experience, we generalized the significant contents in Australian and Oceania history and analyzed the reasons why these contents are insufficient in the textbooks used in China. This voice will be heard on some relevant academic conference and the thesis will be published on some relevant academic publications, thus the researchers could make suggestions to the Instruction Committee of History Teaching in the Ministry of Education. It is necessary to add the history of Australia and Oceania in the revision textbooks afterwards.

 

Based on above ideas, in the Jiangsu province’s world history annual conference convened in Nantong Normal University in 2006 and in Xuzhou Normal University in 2007, national academic conference on National countries in the Process of world history in Xuzhou Normal University, we gave questionnaires to teachers who are engaged in the study and teaching of the world history from over 20 universities in Jiangsu province and countrywide. At the same time, we also organized graduate students to look up more than 30 textbooks of the world history published by China Press since 1990s, used frequently in domestic universities, and then do the relevant word and table analysis (Schedule B and C). The result makes us worrying. Take some examples (in Schedule A):

 

Question 2 of the questionnaire: Did you give tuition in the contents of the history of Australia in your teaching? A. yes B. no C. less D. more

Thereinto, the answers B and C chosen totally account for 92 % in 2006, and 82 % in 2007.

Question 5 of the questionnaire: Do the textbooks you adopted refer to the related contents of Australia history? A. yes B. no C. less D. more

Thereinto, the answers B and C chosen totally account for 96 % in 2006, and 59 % in 2007.

 

Meanwhile, many teachers answered the questionnaires noted that Australia’s history must have a corresponding position to the world history teaching. Something should be done to adjust the situation that the contents and weight of Australia’s history is incompatible to its position in the world history teaching.

Question 6 of the questionnaire: Do you think the station of the history of Australia in the world history teaching is important? A. yes B. no C. in certain period and range

Thereinto, the answers A and C chosen totally account for 100 % (A-19 %, C-81 %) in 2006, and 91 % (A-27 %, C-64 %) in 2007.

 

Question 8 of the questionnaire: Do you think there’s a need to add or adjust the contents of the history of Australia in the world history teaching? A. yes B. no C. need a little of adjustment D. need a lot of adjustment

Thereinto, the answers A and C chosen totally account for 100 % (A-58 %, C-42 %) in 2006 and 91 % (A-36 %, C-45 %) in 2007.

 

In addition, many teachers answered the questionnaire gave fine suggestions and assumptions on how to strengthen the related contents of Australia in the world history teaching and amend the world history textbooks, as follows:

1. Compile special Australia’s history, supplied to the history teaching

2. Study Australia oriented in the system of the Commonwealth of Nations

3. Introduce the status and function of Australia in the Asia-Pacific region, especially the tendency of its Asianization, and reflect the reality of the cooperation and intercommunication between China and Australia in every field, especially economic and political fields

4. Study the process of modernization in Australia

5. Research one of Australian Studies aspects specifically in a chapter or elaborate with the parts of New Zealand and Canada

6. Introduce the station of the gold mine and stock rising in the world economy after the mid-19th century

7. Reflect the function of Australia in the process of colonization

8. Analyze Australian aboriginal policies combined with New Zealand, and study its realization of the multicultural society

9. Add the contents of the dependence and independence of the policies of Australia’s foreign affairs

10. Strengthen the introduction of the immigrants and Australia

 

The above work is just a beginning and an attempt of our whole plan, by which we hope to promote the discussion and employment of the concept of world history, the reform of the world history textbooks, and even more the depth of the study and teaching of Australia in China’s colleges and universities.

This plan has received strong support and help from ACC (The Australia-China Council), Jiangsu World History Academy, and many teachers and scholars of colleges and universities. Thanks sincerely!