War Memory and Social Politics in Japan, 1945-2005

by Franziska Seraphim

Overview

Japan has long wrestled with the memories and legacies of World War II. In the aftermath of defeat, war memory developed as an integral part of particular and divergent approaches to postwar democracy. In the last six decades, the demands placed upon postwar democracy have shifted considerably—from social protest through high economic growth to Japan’s relations in Asia—and the meanings of the war shifted with them.

This book unravels the political dynamics that governed the place of war memory in public life. Far from reconciling with the victims of Japanese imperialism, successive conservative administrations have left the memory of the war to representatives of special interests and citizen movements, all of whom used war memory to further their own interests.

Franziska Seraphim traces the activism of five prominent civic organizations to examine the ways in which diverse organized memories have secured legitimate niches within the public sphere. The history of these domestic conflicts—over the commemoration of the war dead, the manipulation of national symbols, the teaching of history, or the articulation of relations with China and Korea—is crucial to the current discourse about apology and reconciliation in East Asia, and provides essential context for the global debate on war memory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674028302
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	03/15/2008
Series:	Harvard East Asian Monographs , #278
Pages:	409
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	1 - 17 Years

About the Author

Franziska Seraphim is Associate Professor of History at Boston College.

Table of Contents

Figures and Tables

Introduction

Part I: War Memory and Democratic Rebuilding

1. The Politics of Essentialism: The Association of Shinto Shrines

2. Fashioning National Heroes: The Japan Association of War-bereaved Families

3. Forging Political Subjectivity: The Japan Teachers' Union

4. People's Diplomacy: The Japan-China Friendship Association

5. Commemorative Pacifism: The Japan Memorial Society for the Students Killed in the War

Part II: the Political Dynamics of War Memory

6. War Memory and Generational Change: Refashioning Special Interests

7. Memory between Special and National Interests: Japan and Asia

8. Patronizing the War Dead: The Contested Rites of Official Memory

Part III: Changing Geographies of Memory

9. The Politics of Apology

10. Cultures of Commemoration at Century's End

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

An insightful, thoughtful treatment of the interest group politics that has been part of Japan's effort to remember and come to grips with its recent past.

Choice - W. D. Kinzley

With this readable and accessible book, Franziska Seraphim so demolishes the notion that the Japanese have not remembered World War II (a claim long contested by Japan specialists) that there is no longer any excuse for observers of Japan, including Western-language mass media, to claim otherwise.

Asahi Shimbun - Kenneth J. Ruoff

[S]eraphim’s contribution to our understanding of early post-war history is highly valuable...there is no doubt that this book is an important addition to the field, and one that will be useful on both undergraduate and postgraduate reading lists.

Japanese Studies - Beatrice Trefalt

[S]eraphim's contribution to our understanding of early post-war history is highly valuable...there is no doubt that this book is an important addition to the field, and one that will be useful on both undergraduate and postgraduate reading lists.--Beatrice Trefalt "Japanese Studies" (4/1/2008 12:00:00 AM)

An insightful, thoughtful treatment of the interest group politics that has been part of Japan's effort to remember and come to grips with its recent past.--W. D. Kinzley "Choice" (11/1/2007 12:00:00 AM)

With this readable and accessible book, Franziska Seraphim so demolishes the notion that the Japanese have not remembered World War II (a claim long contested by Japan specialists) that there is no longer any excuse for observers of Japan, including Western-language mass media, to claim otherwise.--Kenneth J. Ruoff "Asahi Shimbun" (4/7/2007 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher

[S]eraphim’s contribution to our understanding of early post-war history is highly valuable...there is no doubt that this book is an important addition to the field, and one that will be useful on both undergraduate and postgraduate reading lists.
— Beatrice Trefalt

Japanese Studies

An insightful, thoughtful treatment of the interest group politics that has been part of Japan's effort to remember and come to grips with its recent past.
— W. D. Kinzley

Choice

With this readable and accessible book, Franziska Seraphim so demolishes the notion that the Japanese have not remembered World War II (a claim long contested by Japan specialists) that there is no longer any excuse for observers of Japan, including Western-language mass media, to claim otherwise.
— Kenneth J. Ruoff

Asahi Shimbun