Divided Memories & Reconciliation: the formation of wartime historical memory in the Pacific

Divided Memories will examine the formation of historical memory about World War Two in Asia, looking comparatively at the national memories of China, Japan, Korea, and the United States. It will also study efforts at reconciliation in contemporary Asia. The course will look at the role of textbooks, popular culture, with an emphasis on cinema, and elite opinion on the formation of wartime memory. We will study and discuss controversial issues such as war crimes, forced labor, sexual servitude, and the use of atomic weapons. Class will combine lectures with in class discussion, with short essays or papers.