Remembering Nanjing Massacre in China: From Representation to Organization

• In Event: 40411 - Troubling Pasts: Challenges of History and Commemoration

Abstract

The memory of Nanjing Massacre, a cornerstone of Chinese identity, has been debated around the “nationalism vs cosmopolitanism,” “victimhood vs victory,” and “state ideology vs local agency” theses. Which theses stand out in contemporary China? What factors shape historical memories in museums and memorials more broadly? By studying a state memorial and a civilian museum on Nanjing Massacre in China, this article argues that 1) the rising “victory” narrative does not weaken China’s traditional “nationalism-victimhood” discourse, 2) the state memorial surprisingly has more agency and more cosmopolitan elements, and 3) the civilian museum shows less agency than expected, and all the above can be explained by two organizational mechanisms: “legitimacy appropriation” and “resource acquisition.” Based on these findings, this article calls for an epistemological shift: memories are not only “representations” but also products of organizations. This study contributes to memory studies by bringing in an organizational dimension, demystifying memory construction in authoritarian contexts, and extending beyond traditional discourse analysis.

Authors

• Licheng Qian, Birmingham City University

• Haoran Liang