Never Forget National Humiliation: Historical Memory in Chinese Politics and Foreign Relations

As Wang (an associate professor at Seton Hall University’s John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations) persuasively argues, historical memory, particularly of the “century of humiliation” stretching from the First Opium War (1839–1842) through the Anti-Japanese War ending in 1945, is “the key to understanding Chinese politics and foreign relations,” particularly its current relations with the United States and Japan. While offering the general reader enough history background to keep up, Wang focuses on how the Chinese Communist Party has used historical memory “as a tool to regain legitimacy and to mobilize the population.” In this context, Wang assays, for example, the “patriotic education campaign” following the Tiananmen Square protests, and the handling of two internal events in 2008—the Summer Olympics and the Sichuan earthquake. The book is most accessible when decoding the political uses of historical memory, which may be commemorative or repressive, as reflected in preserved and constructed monuments, changing anthems, and revised history textbooks. Wang is not always easy reading; the framework for his research rests in the application of Johan Galtung’s “Chosenness-Myths-Trauma (CMT) complex”; his review of the scholarly literature concerning historical memory is exhaustive. However, he is a patient, informed guide, sensitive to the historical abysses of Western readers. (Aug.)