Copenhagen ADI Conference 2016
8th annual international ADI conference
Asian Dynamics Initiative
University of Copenhagen 20-22 June 2016

Remembrance and Forgetting of War, Conflict and Disasters in Asia

Convener: Kyoko Murakami, Dept. of Psychology, University of Copenhagen

In recent years, the study of commemoration has proved to be fertile ground for research in social sciences and humanities involving Asia. The aftermaths of a wide variety of wars and other conflicts as well as catastrophic natural and man-made disasters have been examined through studies which pay attention to the debates surrounding the erection of memorials, to practices of commemoration, to the dynamic between remembering and forgetting, to the tension between collective and personal memories, to the role of the state and other agencies in influencing these processes. One of the conclusions of such research has been to stress that memory is never static, but is instead a dynamic and fluid phenomenon constantly open to renegotiation and regeneration. The proposed panel invites research contributions which concurs with this approach to studies of memory and commemoration, but endeavours to move forward by considering the roles which narratives, artefacts, rituals and activities, popular culture and new media play in negotiating memory in the present day. The panels seeks interdisciplinary contributions to memory studies through various case studies and other innovative methodologies to enhance our understanding of the links between commemoration, collective forgetting, succession of personal remembrance of war, conflict and disasters in Asia.