(Re)membering the History of World War II from the Asian Theater

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. However, most U.S. K–12 history curricula present this war from a Eurocentric perspective, with limited coverage of the wartime experiences of Asian nations and people. Further perpetuating this silence is how U.S. K–12 history curricula often portray the war from the victor’s point of view, leaving little space to examine how the victims were sometimes caught between complex wartime racial dynamics, yet often exhibited enduring agency and humanity. Thus, this symposium addresses these gaps in U.S. K–12 social studies curricula, teaching, and research by inviting educators to (re)member the history of World War II from the Asian theater.

Sub Unit

• International Relations Committee

Chair

• Lin Wu, Western Oregon University

Papers

• Teaching Difficult Knowledge of World War II through Chinese History Textbooks - Chenyu Li, Indiana University - South Bend

• Remembering and Silencing: (Re)presentations of World War II in Korean National Curriculum and Textbooks - Jongsung Kim, Hiroshima University; Sunun Park, Cheongju National University of Education

• Challenging Narratives of the “Good War”: Filipino Perspectives of World War II - Theresa Alviar Martin, Kennesaw State University

Discussant

• Sohyun An, Kennesaw State University