Discussion
On June 13th 2023, No.277 Japan Specialist Seminar was held in GSIS (Bldg 140) GL Room in hybrid format. With 10 participants on spot and 20 participants online,
Shin Hyuck Jung , Postdoctoral Fellow of the Department of History, University of Toronto gave a talk titled 'Repeated Return' as Criticism of Postwar Democracy and the Decolonization of Okinawa. The below is the summary.
The speaker introduced how criticism of post-war democracy was presented from the perspective of U.S.-controlled Okinawa in the late 1960s, ahead of the return of Okinawa in 1972, amid growing criticism of colonialism built into mainland-Okinawa relations.
As an example, the meaning of mainland criticism and the so-called "repeat theory" raised by Okinawa intellectuals, including Akira Arakawa, Keitoku Okamoto, and Shinichi Kawamitsu, as criticism of Cold War colonialism and post-war democracy was reviewed.
The Q/A session was followed after the presentation. There was a question regarding the theories of Achille Mbembe. The speaker replied that Mbembe's theory criticizing colonial violence built into democracy is considered valid in thinking of Okinawa as a space where controlled violence is approved and operated under democratic governance.
In addition, the seminar was concluded after discussions on in-depth questions about post-war democracy, the relationship between post-war democracy and pre-war democracy such as Daisho Democracy, and the expression of "the exhibition hall of democracy."
