Dear Colleagues:

You are welcome to our guest lecture at Osaka U on 5 December.

Special Guest Lectures Series, Osaka University

Time/Date: 13:00 ? 14:30, 5 December 2012 (Wednesday)
Venue: Academic Seminar Room, 3rd floor, Building E, Minoh Campus, Osaka University
http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/ja/access/accessmap.html#map03
（access map ）
http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/ja/access/minoh.html (campus
map: 3rd floor #7)

Guest Speaker: Dr. Karl Gustafsson (Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University)
http://www.ace.lu.se/o.o.i.s/29031

Lecture Title: Collective Memory and Security in Sino-Japanese Relations
Synopsis:
A long time has passed since Japan’s aggressive war in Asia ended. In the post-war era Japan has stuck to a peaceful path and accommodated China’s rise while exchanges and interdependence in Sino-Japanese relations has increased tremendously. Nonetheless, the “history issue”
in Sino-Japanese relations has not disappeared. Why has the so-called history issue in Sino-Japanese relations not been solved? Two main explanations to this puzzle seem to dominate?either history is understood in the mainstream realist way as something that is merely used for strategic reasons or it is believed that historical factors affect the perceptions of formerly victimized states and that for this reason the former aggressor needs to provide some kind of reassurance.

The talk theorizes the link between collective memory and bilateral relations in a way that differs from both these approaches as it acknowledges the importance of the memory not only of former aggressors but also of non-aggressors. In addition, it moves beyond the state-centrism common in previous research. The central argument is that the reason that the so-called history issue has continued to disturb Sino-Japanese relations is because memory narratives are central to collectives' sense of who they are, to their identities. This means that memories are something we think with rather than merely something we think about.
Common memories provide groups with a sense of who they are and therefore with ontological security. Groups and individuals involved in memory politics therefore react to perceived threats to these narratives?threats in the form of statements, acts and other narratives that might be seen as involving the forgetting of aspects central to the narratives to which they subscribe. I label this logic the fear of oblivion.

This lecture is open to the public.

After the lecture, we will have a "brown bag lunch seminar" with Dr.
Gustaffson. Graduate students and younger scholars (at
heart) are welcome. Participants are to present their own research in five minutes.
Because we provide lunch box ("bento"), please reserve your seat.
Contact information: Yone Sugita,
sugita[at]lang.osaka-u.ac.jp