Confronting Memories of World War II: European and Asian Legacies

by Daniel Chirot (Editor), Gi-Wook Shin (Editor), Daniel Sneider (Editor)

The legacy of the Second World War has been, like the war itself, an international phenomenon. In both Europe and Asia, common questions of criminality, guilt, and collaboration have intersected with history and politics on the local level to shape the way that wartime experience has been memorialized, reinterpreted, and used.

By directly comparing European and Asian legacies, Confronting Memories of World War II, provides unique insight into the way that World War II continues to influence contemporary attitudes and politics on a global scale. The collection brings together experts from a variety of disciplines and perspectives to explore the often overlooked commonalities between European and Asian handling of memories and reflections about guilt. These commonalities suggest new understandings of the war's legacy and the continuing impact of historical trauma.

Genres: History, Japan

340 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Adam Gutschenritter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole book is based on using national memory to play political games, but also on how memory and apologies for historical events come about. The best article was based on the difference between guilt and shaming in causing national reactions to events.

[Eli Hinze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read about half of it, but it was for uni so I'm marking this one as done (because for me at least, it is!) 0u0

Overall, an engaging book with multiple interesting perspectives. Worth the read.