Displacement and Detention in History and Historical Memory: Germany and Japan in Comparative and Transcultural Perspective

Project abstract: 

In the first half of the 20th century, Europe and Asia experienced two World Wars full of brutality and violence, which was not limited to the battlefields. During and after the war civilians and combatants were suffering from acts of internment, displacement and repatriation (as one form of forced migration) on a large scale. This project examines the themes of displacement and detention in the history and historical memory of Germany and Japan from a comparative and transcultural perspective. In particular, the project’s researchers focus on topics such as the internment of German prisoners of war (POWs) in Japan during the First World War; German and Japanese overseas migration related to economic change and empire-building (or modernization); repatriation (in Japanese Hikiage 引揚げ)/displacement of POWs, military personnel and overseas citizens (civilians) during and after WW1 and WW2; and the repatriation of remains and commemoration of war dead in both countries.
Utilizing various historical, transcultural and cultural anthropological approaches the projects’ researchers seek to uncover and reinterpret the often-overlooked role of displacement (including wartime detention) in the historical transformations of both societies, as well as how each society has come to terms with the past (Vergangenheitsbewältigung) by examining the history of remembrance activities and memory culture (including memorial culture) in Germany and Japan. The joint-fieldwork in both countries, joint-workshops (both of which will include graduate students), and joint-courses, as well as the potential for an exhibition on German POWs in Japan at Heidelberg University, will produce a blend of research output (articles are aimed at leading peer-reviewed journals), public-outreach and educational activities. The project aims to build a strong platform to expand this international collaboration with a future grant bid for JSPS-DAAD funds.

Lead coordinator: 

Name: Dr. Steven Ivings
Position: Associate Professor
Institution: Kyoto University
Department, Faculty: Economics

Co-coordinators:

Name: Dr. Takuma Melber
Position: Coordinator of the Master’s in Transcultural Studies
Institution: Universität Heidelberg
Department, Faculty: Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies (HCTS), Philosophical Faculty

Other coordinators:

Name: Dr. Ikuno OCHI
Position: Associate Professor
Institution: Tohoku University Graduate School of Arts and Letters
Department, Faculty: Graduate School of Arts and Letters