Frontiers of Memory in the Asia-Pacific is a curated collection of work by ten scholars examining “difficult heritage and the transnational politics of postcolonial nationalism.” The book, published in August, is an interdisciplinary study of how places of pain, shame, oppression, and trauma are refashioned as “heritage” to reinforce borders or transcend them, and of the political agendas that inform the heritage-making process. The authors set an agenda for new comparative research into difficult heritage in Asia, adopting a historical perspective that draws on heritage studies, memory studies, urban studies, architecture, and international relations.
The backdrop to current political tensions in the Asia-Pacific encompasses the difficult legacies of colonialism, World War Two, and other twentieth-century conflicts. Analyzing the representation of these legacies at various heritage sites, the contributors to this volume stress the importance of noticing not only what is preserved or highlighted but also what is suppressed or ignored. In the politics of war-related heritage, what is (often deliberately) omitted is as important as what is commemorated. Emphasizing the transnational dimension of dark heritage, the book examines locations in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Palau, Australia, and New Zealand.
Much has been written about ‘history wars’ waged around the contested memories of East Asia’s World War Two, for example as regards those compelled to serve the Japanese war effort as ‘comfort women’ or forced laborers. However, in recent years, as most remaining survivors of the war have passed away, the focus of controversy has steadily shifted from issues of reparations or ‘apology diplomacy’ to heritage and commemoration. As some chapters in this volume demonstrate, the nationalist narratives that underpin commemorative practices frequently involve a narcissistic focus on ‘our’ victimhood, alongside reluctance to acknowledge the suffering experienced by foreign others. But other contributors demonstrate that, handled with sensitivity to historical nuance and to the past suffering of others, heritage can play a positive role in bolstering transnational reconciliation.
While much contemporary scholarship in a ‘decolonial’ mode emphasizes the toxic inheritance of Western ‘coloniality’ across contemporary Asia as elsewhere, this volume reminds us of the complexity of conflict and colonialism in the Asia-Pacific. Across this region, it is Asian as much as Western forms of coloniality or ‘hegemony’ that have left their scars on the political landscape - and continue to do so. For heritage to play a role in abating rather than stoking future conflict, it is important that commemorative narratives acknowledge ‘our’ role in perpetrating as well as suffering past cruelty.
For further information on the publisher’s page for Frontiers of Memory in the Asia-Pacific.
Edited by
Shu-Mei Huang, an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, National Taiwan University,
Hyun Kyung Lee, a research professor in the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea, and
Edward Vickers, a professor of comparative education and UNESCO Chair on Education for Peace, Social Justice, and Global Citizenship at Kyushu University, Japan.
Contributors
Tomoko Ako, University of Tokyo
Roslynn Ang, Sapporo Upopo Hozonkai
Lachlan B. Barber, Hong Kong Baptist University
Edward Boyle, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto
Lu Pan, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Anoma Pieris, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Desmond Hok-Man Sham, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
ISBN : 978-988-8754-14-4
###
About Kyushu University
Kyushu University is one of Japan’s leading research-oriented institutes of higher education since its founding in 1911. Home to around 19,000 students and 8,000 faculty and staff, Kyushu U's world-class research centers cover a wide range of study areas and research fields, from the humanities and arts to engineering and medical sciences. Its multiple campuses—including the largest in Japan—are located around Fukuoka City, a coastal metropolis on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu that is frequently ranked among the world’s most livable cities and historically known as a gateway to Asia.