Singapore 's Collective Memories of the Second World War:
A Comparison with Japan

Event details
Speaker : Mr Yosuke Watanabe
               PhD candidate, Department of Japanese Studies, NUS
Date      : Friday, 12 October 2007
Time      : 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Venue    : AS4/03-28 (JS Meeting Room)

Abstract

How to understand the Second World War is still a current controversial issue between Japan and other Asian countries despite the fact that more than 60 years have passed since the end of the war. Why does such a controversy still continue? The proposed study is an attempt to lay a groundwork to address this issue on the assumption that transmission of different versions of war memory to postwar generations of Japan and other Asian countries (like Singapore) is partly responsible for the continuing controversy. On the basis of such an assumption the proposed study will reveal what kinds of war memory (what aspects of the Second World War are being encouraged to be remembered and how people are being taught to make sense of them) are transmitted to postwar generations of Singapore and through which memory conduits (war museums, school education, the family etc.) such memories are received (or not received) by them. In addition, the characteristics of Singapore's war memories will be examined in contrast to Japan's war memories.