Since a Japanese history textbook had for the first time evoked protests from China and Korea in 1982, the "history problem", a controversy over the historical interpretation of wartime violence and colonial occupation, has become one of the destabilizing factors that threaten East Asia's peaceful regional order. In Europe on the other hand, debates over the question how to remember the past in academic circles and public spheres have seldom escalated into diplomatic conflicts after the Franco-German reconciliation in 1963. Aiming at analyzing East Asia’s history problem from a historical and comparative perspective, this lecture firstly gives an overview of the unfolding of WWII in Asia, focusing on its military and intellectual connectedness to Europe. On this basis, this lecture discusses the question how the collective memories of the war have been shaped by public discourses, education and academic debates in East Asian countries in comparison to Europe's experience of postwar reconciliation.

While the title "contemporary Japanese culture" may remind you of manga, anime and video game, this course will rather pick up facets of traditional culture (Shinto, Buddhism, sumo,  ...) and examine them in contemporary context. We will discuss conflicts within Japanese society and the gap between self-understanding inside and perception from outside.

This course will also approach to Japanese culture in other ways: We will analyse classic discourses on Japanese culture (Nakane, Benedict) and visit a marginalized part of Osaka to study social inclusion through art.