Bøger i War, Culture and Society serien

Japanese Perceptions of Papua New Guinea exposes the interactions between two ostensibly opposing worlds: war and travel. While soldiers deployed to Eastern New Guinea during the Second World War recalled first-hand their experience of war, post-war tourists visited battle-sites, met locals, and drew their own conclusions about the Pacific island from the Japanese media. This book, in bringing travel and war closer together through a comparative analysis of veterans' memoirs and the records of postwar travelers, explores how individuals consume, create, and recreate war histories. As a result, Ryota Nishino reveals the extent to which the memory of defeat - for both soldiers and civilians alike - influenced the Japanese perceptions of Papua New Guinea and shaped future relations between the countries. Translating a diverse range of Japanese primary and archival sources, this book provides the first English-language analysis of the social and political impact of Japanese interpretations of the PNG campaign and its aftermath. As such, Japanese Perceptions of Papua New Guinea: War, Travel and the Reimagining of History is an important text for anyone seeking a sophisticated understanding of war, nationalism, and memory culture in Japan and the Pacific Islands.

"Explores the material and territorial culture of military conflict by looking at early 20th century British military camouflage."--Provided by publisher.

"An exploration of the prisoner of war experience on the Sumatra railway, and its legacy, through the life-writing of those who survived"--

"This book examines the participation of Jewish volunteers in the international brigades during the Spanish Civil War "--

Through an in-depth analysis of wartime essays and literary works, Literature and Cultural Identity during the Korean War considers the similarities and differences in the way that writers from both North and South Korea perceived and experienced the conflict. In this book, Jerôme de Wit examines the social impact of major themes in the output of these writers, such as the notion of collaboration, the portrayal of the enemy and heroes, and the role of women during war, to further our understanding of the wartime identities that were constructed by the two Koreas. The result is a nuanced and enlightening study which provides a base for a full exploration of the role culture in the formation of North and South Korean states.Until now, most studies have tended to focus on the Korean War's role in big power relations or on Korea's role in Cold War history. Literature and Cultural Identity during the Korean War demonstrates that the struggle was simultaneously an international 'total' war as well as a civil one. It is an important study for anyone interested in the literature and culture of the Korean War.