The Long Defeat: Cultural Trauma, Memory, and Identity in Japan

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.


Author: Akiko Hashimoto
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 06/02/2015
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780190239169

Review Citation(s):
Choice 11/01/2015

About the Author

Akiko Hashimoto is Associate Professor of Sociology and Asian Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.