An image built upon war: How the collaboration vs. resistance dichotomy reveals the politics in memories and how Korea built its national identity

This thesis examines how the Korean state uses and distorts the memories of Colonial Korea in order to construct a national narrative of a victimized nation that was oppressed by the Japanese Empire and of a nation that engaged in a unified resistance against the Japanese Empire. This thesis argues that this national narrative is partially built upon ‘distorted’ colonial memories, as this narrative does not discuss the deep collaboration that occurred between the Japanese Empire and the Colonial Korean citizens. This thesis shall also argue that when one examines this case through the lens of the IR theory of constructivism and Takeo Hymans’ ‘politics of memory’ theory that this narrative is built with strong political motives that show the underlined political agenda that exists within the national identity building process. This thesis shall then show that these political motives are to distort or draw attention away from the involvement of the large number of Koreans that...Show moreThis thesis examines how the Korean state uses and distorts the memories of Colonial Korea in order to construct a national narrative of a victimized nation that was oppressed by the Japanese Empire and of a nation that engaged in a unified resistance against the Japanese Empire. This thesis argues that this national narrative is partially built upon ‘distorted’ colonial memories, as this narrative does not discuss the deep collaboration that occurred between the Japanese Empire and the Colonial Korean citizens. This thesis shall also argue that when one examines this case through the lens of the IR theory of constructivism and Takeo Hymans’ ‘politics of memory’ theory that this narrative is built with strong political motives that show the underlined political agenda that exists within the national identity building process. This thesis shall then show that these political motives are to distort or draw attention away from the involvement of the large number of Koreans that volunteered for the Japanese Imperial army and their actions to further Japanese imperialism within other parts of the Japanese Empire. It shall also highlight how the involvement of high-profile collaborators, such as Park Chung-Hee and Lt. General Hong Sa-ik, further distorts this narrative presented by the Korean state. Ultimately this thesis addresses the distortion that exists within the Korean-Japanese relations’ dichotomy and proposes that the only way for a meaningful dialogue between these two countries to exist is for both nations to acknowledge and discuss the distortions caused within their national narratives.Show less

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An image built upon war: How the collaboration vs. resistance dichotomy reveals the politics in memories and how Korea built its national identity