The Long Defeat: Cultural Trauma, Memory, and Identity in Japan (Oxford UP, 2015)

"In The Long Defeat, Akiko Hashimoto explores the stakes of war memory in Japan after its catastrophic defeat in World War II, showing how and why defeat has become an indelible part of national collective life, especially in recent decades. Divisive war memories lie at the root of the contentious politics surrounding Japan's pacifist constitution and remilitarization, and fuel the escalating frictions in East Asia known collectively as Japan's "history problem." Drawing on ethnography, interviews, and a wealth of popular memory data, this book identifies three preoccupations - national belonging, healing, and justice - in Japan's discourses of defeat. Hashimoto uncovers the key war memory narratives that are shaping Japan's choices - nationalism, pacifism, or reconciliation - for addressing the rising international tensions and finally overcoming its dark history."--Publisher's description "In The Long Defeat, Akiko Hashimoto explores the stakes of war memory in Japan after its catastrophic defeat in World War II, showing how and why defeat has become an indelible part of national collective life, especially in recent decades. Divisive war memories lie at the root of the contentious politics surrounding Japan's pacifist constitution and remilitarization, and fuel the escalating frictions in East Asia known collectively as Japan's "history problem." Drawing on ethnography, interviews, and a wealth of popular memory data, this book identifies three preoccupations - national belonging, healing, and justice - in Japan's discourses of defeat. Hashimoto uncovers the key war memory narratives that are shaping Japan's choices - nationalism, pacifism, or reconciliation - for addressing the rising international tensions and finally overcoming its dark history."--Page 4 de la couverture The Long Defeat Cultural Trauma, Memory, and Identity in Japan 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 1. Cultural Memory in a Fallen Nation 16 2. Repairing Biographies and Aligning Family Memories 40 3. Defeat Reconsidered: Heroes, Victims, and Perpetrators in the Popular Media 66 4. Pedagogies of War and Peace: Teaching World War II to Children 98 5. The Moral Recovery of Defeated Nations: A Global–Comparative Look 134 Notes 158 Bibliography 178 Index 194 The Long Defeat explores war memory in Japan after World War II, showing how and why defeat remains an indelible part of national life. The book shows that assessing the culture of defeat is the key to understanding Japan's "history problem" - the disputes over revising the pacifist constitution, remilitarization, and frictions in East Asia.