Abstract
The purpose of this study is to consider the concept of “Hanashiai” (storytelling) in moral
classes in Japan using Richard Rorty's concept of conversation as a clue. First, the study
provides an overview of Rorty's ideal thought of liberal ironist from three perspectives: the contingency of language and selfhood, imagination of a liberalist, and two vocabularies of an ironist. Next, the concept of conversation, which symbolizes their thoughts, was analyzed by considering the following three aspects: that it is an end in itself, that it is conducted with imagination, and that it is non-methodical. Then, an attempt was made to redescribe “Hanashiai” in moral classes in light of the three aspects of the conversation. Through the redescription, the study clarififies the importance of teachers placing themselves in three gaps, namely that between ingenuity and constraint, that between the public and the private, and that between agreement and disagreement. Finally, after emphasizing how to utilize “Hanashiai” in moral classes and, by extension, how to discuss classroom practice, the article describes how teachers should engage in conversations with children to impart education to them.
