131-405 History, Memory and Violence in Asia

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth year honours in history.

This subject will require students to critically analyse memories or representations of violence in a range of Asian contexts. The subject will include a number of theoretical reflections on history and memory, on memory and identity politics, memory and the body, memory and gender. We will also engage with and reflect on a variety of media of memory such as narratives or oral history, museums, monuments, commemorative ceremonies, internet sites, art and photographs. We will also reflect on the ethics and problems associated with researching and writing about memories and violence and related issues of truth and justice. The subject will include a number of case studies such as Japanese historical revisionism, the related memory wars in China over Japanese representations of the Nanjing Massacre and in Korea over Japanese silences about the Comfort Women. We will also examine commemoration of the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, representations of the 1965 anti-communist killings in Indonesia, representations of the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, representations of the violence of Partition in India, representations of the 1998 anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia and representations of the Vietnam War in Vietnam.

• show an advanced understanding of the changing knowledge base in the specialist area;

• be able to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature in the discipline;

• have an appreciation of the design, conduct and reporting of original research.

A research essay of 3000 words 60% (due at the end of semester), a reflective essay of 2000 words 30% (due during the examination period) and participation in seminars 10%.