The past or the politics of the present? Dealing with the Japanese occupation of South Korea

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Contemporary Politics

Publication Date

2016

Volume

22

Issue

1

First Page

57

Last Page

76

Publisher

Routledge

Keywords

Collective memory, transitional justice, apology, South Korea

Abstract

Why do historical legacies continue to burden politics in East Asia? According to major schools of thought on collective memory, perceptions of historical injustice may be determined by the past (traditionalism), the present (presentism) or the interplay of both. This paper assesses the validity of these theories by examining the effect of transitional justice on perceptions of wrongdoers. Transitional justice offers a unique substrate for exploring competing theories of collective memory as it represents a contemporary process for dealing with the past. Were transitional justice to transform perceptions of wrongdoers, it would provide evidence supporting presentism. This hypothesis was tested using a survey of 640 adults from the Gallup Korea online panel. South Korea was selected as a research site because the legacy of Japan's occupation remains unresolved. A Tobit analysis supported presentist approaches although, as traditionalists claim, perceptions of wrongdoers were resistant to change. The organic nature of collective memory suggests that perceptions can only be transformed by comprehensive transitional justice.

DOI

10.1080/13569775.2015.1112953

Print ISSN

13569775

E-ISSN

14693631

Funding Information

Administration of the survey was funded by Lingnan University.

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2015 Taylor & Francis. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

David, R. (2016). The past or the politics of the present? Dealing with the Japanese occupation of South Korea. Contemporary Politics, 22(1), 57-76. doi: 10.1080/13569775.2015.1112953

Share

COinS