“It Became All Right to Teach History of Science”: History of Science Education and the Introduction of General Education in Postwar Japan

Abstract

This paper describes the introduction of general education within higher education as part of the US-led education reform after World War II (WWII) and analyzes how it led to the justification of the history of science education. After a brief description of the state of research and education pertaining to the history of science in Japan before WWII, this paper reviews the process of the introduction of general education as part of Japan's education reform under the US occupation policy. In this process, the “case history” method proposed by James B. Conant was frequently referred to, and Sidney J. French, a US researcher who had discussed general education at the History of Science Society, was invited to Japan as a lecturer for the Institute for Educational Leadership. Further, Bun'ichi Tamamushi, one of the founders of the History of Science Society of Japan (HSSJ), visited the US and played a key role in implementing the history of science subject in general education, and people involved in the HSSJ took advantage of this situation to promote this discipline. These events legitimized the history of science education in universities.