Hadashi no Gen and the Bomb: An Exploration of the Formulation and Impact of the Collective Memory of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima from the Post War Moment until Present

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2014
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Bi-College (Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges). Department of East Asian Studies
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Bi-College users only
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Abstract
On August 6th, 1945, when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan became the first nation to endure a nuclear attack. After the conclusion of the Second World War, the memory of this nuclear atrocity was the founding point of Japan's victim consciousness. Among those who survived the attack was the manga artist Keiji Nakazawa. Seeking to foster a work that would provide space for Japanese to critically reflect upon this memory of Hiroshima, Nakazawa created a ten volume manga series, Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen). Gen leaves the reader with two central points for further reflection: Japan needs to reflect on the ways in which it was a victim of a nuclear atrocity, but also upon the ways in which Imperial Japan was an aggressor in many parts of Asia. Second, Nakazawa calls for America to take responsibility and acknowledge the harm that was committed against Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped. Using these two points of reflection as a catalyst, I explore the ways in which a collective memory of Hiroshima could be formulated that would open new pathways for reconciliation between Japan, its Asian neighbors, and the United States. I conclude that in order for Japan to fully be able to confront its past, the United States must first make efforts to apologize for bombing Hiroshima.
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