Memory, Identity, and Commemorations of World War II
Anniversary Politics in Asia Pacific
Foreword by Akira Iriye Contributions by Lily Gardner Feldman, Marc Gallicchio, Ricardo T. Jose, Christine Kim, Marlene Laruelle, Tze Loo, Mike Mochizuki, Robert Sutter, Daqing Yang Edited by Daqing Yang, Mike Mochizuki
Publication date:
11 April 2018Length of book:
194 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksISBN-13: 9781498567695
Why do some governments and societies attach great significance to a particular anniversary year whereas others seem less inclined to do so? What motivates the orchestration of elaborate commemorative activities in some countries? What are they supposed to accomplish, for both domestic and international audience? In what ways do commemorations in Asia Pacific fit into the global memory culture of war commemoration? In what ways are these commemorations intertwined with current international politics?
This book presents the first large-scale analysis of how countries in the Asia Pacific and beyond commemorated the seventieth anniversaries of the end of World War II. Consisting of in-depth case studies of China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, United States, Russia, and Germany, this unique collective effort demonstrates how memories of the past as reflected in public commemorations and contemporary politics—both internal and international—profoundly affect each other.
This book presents the first large-scale analysis of how countries in the Asia Pacific and beyond commemorated the seventieth anniversaries of the end of World War II. Consisting of in-depth case studies of China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, United States, Russia, and Germany, this unique collective effort demonstrates how memories of the past as reflected in public commemorations and contemporary politics—both internal and international—profoundly affect each other.
This is a powerful, wide-ranging set of essays that provides a genuinely transnational view of the meaning of one turning-point year in modern history: 1945. Bringing together papers on Asia, Europe, and North America, this volume provides a truly innovative contribution to the field of war and memory.