Remembering and Forgetting

Many of the conflicts that have divided parts of East Asia for the past 50 years remain unresolved, such as competing claims between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, past Japanese militarism and colonialism in the region, and the division of Korea into two ideologically opposed states. At the same time, the memories of the events which gave rise to these conflicts are contested. Fundamental to working through these memories is the process of remembering and forgetting, which is the subject of this book. Through that process nations as well as individuals interpret their pasts, determine their identities, and set their priorities for the present and the future.