Masakra nankińska 1937–1938 jako źródło chińskiej narodowej traumy kulturowej

Abstract

NANKING MASSACRE 1937–1938 AS A SOURCE OF CHINESE NATIONAL CULTURAL TRAUMA The Nanjing massacre is today one of the most important historical events for the Chinese national identity, however, until 1982, the topic of the massacre did not enjoy much interest. This paper, using Jeffrey C. Alexander’s theory of cultural trauma and the example of the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, shows how the Chinese authorities gave the initially unknown massacre the rank of a national trauma. Symbolic representation, trauma narratives, and the institutionalization of trauma were crucial in this process.