Content knowledge in textbook has to undergo a process of selection and review before they are adopted in textbooks and taught at schools; therefore it is oftentimes regarded as official and authorized knowledge. Accordingly, Textbook knowledge about various groups and cultures inevitably exerts a profound influence on attitudes of the next generations toward these groups and cultures. Over the past century, there have been many descriptions and documenting about Europe in history text- books from the late Chinese Tsing Dynasty, early modern China, and Taiwan; never- theless, only very few research focus on analyzing how Europe are portrayed and represented in these textbooks. Based upon Said and Bhabha’s notions of the other, this research aims to interrogate representations of Europe in the history textbooks over the course of past century. By textual analysis, the research will critically scruti- nize texts, pictures about Europe, and how they are organized in history textbook col- lections housed by libraries in Taipei, Shanghai, and Beijing, to reflect the portraits and representations of Europe, its shifts in history textbooks, and relevant historical contexts as well as critical discourses driving these shifts. This research contributes to the textbook research not only by offering a comprehensive understanding of various ways in which Europe has been represented and taught in textbooks over the past century in early modern China and Taiwan, but also by serving as a pilot study for fu- ture comparison with GEI’s research concerning Europe representations in textbooks around the world. Moreover, both of which will enrich the literatures concerning the other by analyzing Europe as a non-conventional other.
