Main Sources: von Sivers textbook, Ch. 28: World War 1900-1945 George Hicks, The “Comfort Women” Documentary In the Name of the Emperor Documentary Behind Forgotten Eyes Sarah Soh, The comfort women: sexual violence and postcolonial memory in Korea and Japan, Chapter 2: ‘Korean Survivors’ Testimonial Narratives For this assignment, you need to refer to all five main sources. The textbook provides important details on Japan’s alternative vision of modernity. The George Hicks article gives key background details on the comfort women issue. The two documentaries provide important first-hand accounts (from Chinese residents of Nanjing, surviving comfort women, Japanese soldiers, and news reports of that time). To understand why Japan acted they way it did, you should her history in the 19thcentury, when it faced the challenge of being colonized, and responded by embarking on a modernization program (textbook Chapter 24). Answer one of these questions Question #1. What key factors led to Japanese colonialism in the 20th century? Focus on important historical developments in Japan as well as the world in general. Use the war in China and the comfort women issue as case studies for your analysis. Question #2. From the first person accounts in the two documentaries, who are the victims, and who are the perpetrators? Why? Make sure your answer is not based only on the documentaries. Use other sources (with citations) for relevant historical context.
