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