Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar Era

What is the relationship between the museum and the state? More precisely, in what way does the publicly sponsored museum reflect efforts by the state to expand its power at large? And how do its efforts contribute to the transformation of a nation's identity? These questions have recently begu...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Xiaohua Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National Sun Yat-sen University 2017-05-01
Series:Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://icaps.nsysu.edu.tw/var/file/131/1131/img/2374/CCPS3(1)-Ma.pdf
_version_ 1818536158874828800
author Xiaohua Ma
author_facet Xiaohua Ma
author_sort Xiaohua Ma
collection DOAJ
description What is the relationship between the museum and the state? More precisely, in what way does the publicly sponsored museum reflect efforts by the state to expand its power at large? And how do its efforts contribute to the transformation of a nation's identity? These questions have recently begun to be raised not only in the Western context, but also among Asian countries. In Japan, as in most countries, the museum is not just a neutral public space where visitors come to view paintings, sculptures, or valuable cultural and historical heritages. As with other aspects of Japanese cultural life, the museum has become highly politicized in recent years. Both in their conceptual foundations and contents, Japanese museums established in the postwar era reflect very specific political ends. This paper focuses on one peace museum, which is an important tool for peace-building, Peace Osaka, established in Japan’s second largest city, to examine how Japan’s national identity has transformed politically and socially in the postwar era. By comparing different memories of war created in different periods in this public museum, we understand how a nation attempts to reconstruct its national identity through the process of selecting historical facts to exhibit in the museum. Furthermore, through the examination of historical controversy in East Asia, we will understand how a nation deals with its conflicting national narratives in the global era.
first_indexed 2024-12-11T18:34:21Z
format Article
id doaj.art-491e6eb7eda348589f1b593a2a12a27c
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2410-9681
2410-9681
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-11T18:34:21Z
publishDate 2017-05-01
publisher National Sun Yat-sen University
record_format Article
series Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal
spelling doaj.art-491e6eb7eda348589f1b593a2a12a27c2022-12-22T00:54:48ZengNational Sun Yat-sen UniversityContemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal2410-96812410-96812017-05-0131187212Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar EraXiaohua Ma0Osaka University of Education, JapanWhat is the relationship between the museum and the state? More precisely, in what way does the publicly sponsored museum reflect efforts by the state to expand its power at large? And how do its efforts contribute to the transformation of a nation's identity? These questions have recently begun to be raised not only in the Western context, but also among Asian countries. In Japan, as in most countries, the museum is not just a neutral public space where visitors come to view paintings, sculptures, or valuable cultural and historical heritages. As with other aspects of Japanese cultural life, the museum has become highly politicized in recent years. Both in their conceptual foundations and contents, Japanese museums established in the postwar era reflect very specific political ends. This paper focuses on one peace museum, which is an important tool for peace-building, Peace Osaka, established in Japan’s second largest city, to examine how Japan’s national identity has transformed politically and socially in the postwar era. By comparing different memories of war created in different periods in this public museum, we understand how a nation attempts to reconstruct its national identity through the process of selecting historical facts to exhibit in the museum. Furthermore, through the examination of historical controversy in East Asia, we will understand how a nation deals with its conflicting national narratives in the global era.http://icaps.nsysu.edu.tw/var/file/131/1131/img/2374/CCPS3(1)-Ma.pdfhistory educationpeace-buildingreconciliationpeace museums
spellingShingle Xiaohua Ma
Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar Era
Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal
history education
peace-building
reconciliation
peace museums
title Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar Era
title_full Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar Era
title_fullStr Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar Era
title_full_unstemmed Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar Era
title_short Rethinking Peace-Building in East Asia: The Case of Japan’s Struggle over History in Postwar Era
title_sort rethinking peace building in east asia the case of japan s struggle over history in postwar era
topic history education
peace-building
reconciliation
peace museums
url http://icaps.nsysu.edu.tw/var/file/131/1131/img/2374/CCPS3(1)-Ma.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT xiaohuama rethinkingpeacebuildingineastasiathecaseofjapansstruggleoverhistoryinpostwarera