teaching about the pacific war

[clay dube]

There's much more to discuss than the horrible atrocities that took place in Nanjing. But those do need to be remembered and shared in appropriate ways with students.

Novelist Ha Jin uses the character Gao Anling to take us through the Japanese seizure of Nanjing, China's capital in 1937. Gao is the assistant of Minnie Vautrin, the American head of Ginling College.

publisher's page: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209856/nanjing-requiem-by-ha-jin/

Ha Jin speaking at Brown University on the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0QfJYg2_zg&index=15&list=PL0B5EE8C41413DDAA

NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/books/review/nanjing-requiem-by-ha-jin-book-review.html?_r=0

Washington Post review: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-review-nanjing-requiem-by-ha-jin/2011/10/11/gIQA69NnDM_story.html

Cleveland Plain Dealer review: http://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2011/10/ha_jins_nanjing_requiem_is_a_f.html

[clay dube]

Yale University's library has a website devoted to the Nanjing Massacre. It includes letters from witnesses, photographs, and more.

http://divinity-adhoc.library.yale.edu/Nanking/index.html

[clay dube]

This post to the forum discusses and has a link to a CSPAN interview with Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanjing.

http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/topic19746-rape-of-nanking-interview-with-iris-chang.aspx

[clay dube]

Abe's statement: http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/english/html/pm-abe-statement.pdf
It includes: "Upon the innocent people did our country inflict immeasurable damage and suffering. History is harsh. What is done cannot be undone. Each and every one of them had his or her life, dream, and beloved family. When I squarely contemplate this obvious fact, even now, I find myself speechless and my heart is rent with the utmost grief."

Akihito's statement: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/15/national/history/emperor-akihitos-70th-war-end-anniversary-speech-full/#.VdT11Jc4kXc
It includes: "On this day to commemorate the war dead and pray for peace, my thoughts are with the people who lost their precious lives in the last war and their bereaved families, as I attend this memorial ceremony with a deep and renewed sense of sorrow."
edited by Clay Dube on 8/27/2015

[clay dube]

Few governments get high marks for candor about the dark days of their pasts. Many know of the battles in Japan over what is taught. Ienega Saburo devoted much of his life to informing students and others of some of the consequences of the Pacific War.

Here's his obituary in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/08/obituaries/08IENA.html).

George Washington University's Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia Pacific Project has a page devoted to his legal cases: http://www.gwu.edu/~memory/issues/textbooks/textbookcases.html

And here is a resource prepared by one of the founders of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, Kathy Masalski, for our NCTA partner, the Stanford Program on International and Cross-cultural Education: http://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/examining_the_japanese_history_textbook_controversies

Here's the publisher's page for his book: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/85001/pacific-war-1931-1945-by-saburo-ienaga/

Here's an article he published in 1993, "The Glorification of War in Japanese Education." http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ins/summary/v018/18.3.ienaga.html

Here is a useful summary of textbook reviews and the approval process: http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a00701/
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its own translation of the review process: http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/education/textbooks/overview-3.html

Our NCTA partners at Stanford have prepared a terrific unit to teach about textbooks. Information about it is available here: http://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/catalog/divided_memories_comparing_history_textbooks
edited by Clay Dube on 8/27/2015

[clay dube]

The anniversary of the Japanese surrender is days off and many will be discussing the war and its aftermath in their classes. Let's use this section of the forum to talk about available resources and possible approaches.

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