Local Memory and Global Relations: China, Japan, and Korea

The Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University presents a talk on "Local Memory and Global Relations: China, Japan, and Korea" as a part of the Local Memory, Global Ethics, Justice: The Politics of Historical Dialogue in Contemporary Society Conference.

Chair: Daqing Yang, George Washington University
Akiko Takenaka, University of Kentucky
Steffen Rimner, Harvard University
Gui-Young Hong, North Carolina
Hyunah Yang, Seoul National University

Historical dialogue and accountability is a growing field of advocacy and scholarship that encompasses the efforts in conflict, post-conflict, and post-dictatorial societies to come to terms with their pasts. Historical dialogue seeks to provide analysis of past violence grounded in empirical research; to acknowledge the victims of past violence and human rights abuses; to challenge and deconstruct national, religious, or ethnic memories of heroism and/or victimhood; to foster shared work between interlocutors of two or more sides of a conflict; to identify and monitor how history is misused to divide society and perpetuate conflict; and to enhance public discussion about the past.

This conference seeks to consider related questions, in addition to discussing the state of the relatively new field of historical dialogue and its relationship to other discourses such as transitional justice, memory studies, oral history, historical redress and religious studies. We will address the possibilities and limits of these concepts and methods, searching for unexplored connections and elaborating upon how historical analysis can be used to resolve long-standing sectarian conflicts.

To register for the conference, please visit ahdaconference.eventbrite.com.