Contested Memories in Chinese and Japanese Foreign Policy

Contested Memories in Chinese and Japanese Foreign Policy explores the issue of memory and lack of reconciliation in East Asia.

As main East Asian nations have never achieved a common memory of their pasts, in particular, the events of the Second World War and Sino-Japanese War, this book locates the issue of memory within International Relations theory, exploring the theoretical and practical link between the construction of a country’s identity and the formation and contestation of its historical memory and foreign policy.

Provides an innovative theoretical frameworkDraws connections between the role of memory and foreign policyUses the interpretative theory of international relationsGives comparative perspective using the cases of China and JapanPresents in-depth analysis of the construction and contestation of national memory in China and Japan

1. Theorizing the Role of Collective Memory in International Politics 2. Japan's Memory During the Postwar Period (1945–1989) 3. The Battle of Memory in the Heisei Era 4. China’s Collective Memory between the Revolution and Tiananmen Square 5. Collective Memory and Foreign-Policy in China after the Cold War 6. Conclusion