History, Memory, and Narrative in Contemporary Japanese Politics<\/p>\n
Prof. David LEHENY<\/p>\n
This year, the project will focus on the local reproduction of transnational narratives regarding COVID. One original expectation of this research \u2013 that major countries of the Asia-Pacific would compete over leadership based on their handling of the pandemic \u2013 has turned out to have been misguided. Indeed, most of the region\u2019s countries have dropped COVID-19 and claims about their relative success from their frontline diplomacy, with local disputes reflecting on differential patterns of success and failure.<\/p>\n
This is an important issue for several reasons. First, the sudden disappearance of the dominant story of global politics for nearly two years is remarkable, particularly given that COVID-19 remains endemic, that public health has become a more visible challenge for global institutions.<\/p>\n
The key research methods remain discursive, and in particular reliance on policy documents from Japan, the United States, China, South Korea, and ASEAN nations to examine how the pandemic has been described and the behavior of the respective states rationalized and justified.<\/p>\n
Upon my return from sabbatical at Cornell University, I plan to complete my book manuscript.<\/p>\n