Sexual Violence, Imperialism, and Museum Activism: The Case of the War & Women’s Human Rights Museum

Abstract

Sexual violence is part of a colonial legacy that is undergoing memorialisation efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. According to a United Nations investigation, nearly 200,000 women were enslaved in the ‘comfort stations’ for Japanese soldiers that operated in China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, New Guinea, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, from as early as 1932 until the war ended in 1945. While most victims are thought to have been Korean, local women and a smaller number from the Netherlands and Australia were also subjugated to the plight. The War & Women’s Human Rights Museum opened in Korea in 2012 to address this difficult history and gender issue that had nearly been forgotten. The museum has served as a human rights advocate for survivors and as a platform for education and consensus building. This paper examines the museum’s activism from the standpoint of colonial legacy, contested histories, gender, and human rights. A thorough analysis of the museum can serve as a reference for other regions that may be dealing with similarly difficult historical legacies and/or gender issues.