Korea Institute
In conjunction with
Department of International Relations and Department of Political and Social Change

SPECIAL SEMINAR

A Deliberative Approach to East Asia's Contested History
Dr David Hundt - School of International & Political Studies, Deakin University

The history of East Asia - and in particular the legitimacy of war, national boundaries and political units - has been fiercely contested for much of the post-war period. Competing nationalist conceptions and interpretations of history have encouraged states to lay claim to their own legitimacy while denying that of others. History not only plays a significant role in nation building and the construction of national identity, but it has also generated controversy, hindering regional reconciliation and integration.

We first map forms of discussion and debate on history, and then undertake an empirical testing to ascertain the degree to which civil society groups and citizens have been involved and deliberation has occurred. We highlight the Modern History of East Asia project, which entailed the production of a history textbook for use in China, Japan and South Korea. The project, which involved mainly NGOs and schoolteachers, sought to overcome the 'liberation–invasion' dichotomy that characterizes the retelling of regional history. We contrast MHEA with less inclusive modes of dialogue—and in particular a dispute between China and South Korea that erupted at precisely the same time as the MHEA project was underway. By juxtaposing the Goguryeo–Gāogōulì dispute with the success of MHEA, this paper provides an account of factors leading to deliberative and non-deliberative dialogues, examines the limits and problems of the deliberative approach, and discusses the dynamic potential of a deliberative approach to dialogue.