The Korean War Remembered: Contested Memories of an Unended Conflict

Michael J. Devine's book explores how contested memories of the Korean War have evolved over decades and how they continue to shape the countries involved. He examines "theaters of memory" in the US, China, and the two Koreas and engages with revisionist historians who consider the war an unwise U.S. interference. Devine offers a unique perspective as a scholar with close ties to Korea and the Korean American community.

Format: Hardback
Length: 346 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2023
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Michael J. Devine offers a comprehensive, multi-faceted, and global examination of the contentious memory surrounding the 1950-1953 conflict that resulted in the division of the Korean Peninsula along a heavily fortified demilitarized zone. His research delves into "theaters of memory," encompassing various forms of literature, popular culture, public education initiatives, monuments, and museums in the United States, China, and the two Koreas, to explore the evolution of contested memories over decades and their continued impact on the domestic and foreign policies of the countries involved in this ongoing struggle for dominance and legitimacy.

Furthermore, The Korean War Remembered engages with the revisionist school of historians who, influenced by America's protracted struggle in Vietnam, view the Korean War as an ill-advised U.S. intervention in a civil war that should have been left for the Koreans to resolve on their own. As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Korea, a two-time senior Fulbright lecturer at Korean universities, and the former director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, Devine possesses a unique perspective as a scholar with over half a century of deep connections to Korea and the Korean American community, coupled with practical expertise in the management of historical institutions.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496234698