Collective Memory Construction of the "Ianfu" System in China

Content Warning: This presentation includes mentions of sensitive subjects such as rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, child abuse, suicide, kidnapping, death, and war. This project explores the collective memory... [ view full abstract ]

Content Warning: This presentation includes mentions of sensitive subjects such as rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, child abuse, suicide, kidnapping, death, and war.

This project explores the collective memory construction of the “ianfu” (慰安婦) system, a form of systematic rape established and perpetrated by the Japanese government and military prior to and during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) in China. From the Mukden Incident (mannshuhenji, 満州変事) in 1931 to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, the Japanese imperial force instituted the “ianfu” system in the majority of the regions they invaded and/or occupied. Memory construction of the “ianfu” system has been overwhelmingly dominated by the Republic of China (ROC)/People's Republic of China (PRC) government. The History (with a capital “H”) and narrative curated and (re)produced by the ROC/PRC government have not only undergone immense transformations that are often attributable to its larger political schema. In addition, there are also significant inconsistencies among the Histories manufactured by the ROC/PRC government for their domestic and international audiences. Therefore, this project also illuminates the fragility of the memories of the “ianfu” system and their malleability to power.