This course addresses critical moments of contact, conflict, and connection in the modern histories of Korea and Japan. Each week our discussion and readings will focus on a specific event, before looking at the wider contexts involved and historical debates they have produced. This is not a comparative study of the histories of the different countries, but a chance to focus on themes – nationalism, colonial oppression, collaboration, war, identity – which continue to shape both relations between Japan, South Korea and North Korea, and the work of historians today.
Instructor: Hannah Shepherd