4: Teaching About War for Reconciliation: Gender, Memory, and Emotion in East Asia

This study explores the educational value of teaching war from a gender perspective in East Asia, focusing on the geopolitics of memory and emotion embedded in history education. Using theories of multidirectional memory and collective emotion, it examines a transnational dialogue of memory project implemented by Korean and Japanese educators. The project focused on two often-overlooked World War II histories: the experiences of the Japanese military’s “comfort women” and the Japanese wives who remained in Korea postwar. By centering marginalized gendered narratives, the project aimed to challenge dominant nationalist histories. Drawing on qualitative data—teacher reflections, student responses, and classroom observations—the study shows how unfamiliar historical accounts sparked collective emotional responses, such as empathy, surprise, and gratitude. These reactions became entry points for ethical inquiry and cross-cultural understanding, encouraging students to move beyond dichotomous national identities and to reflect critically on historical injustices. The findings underscore the transformative potential of global citizenship education that integrates gendered memory, emotional reflexivity, and transnational solidarity, offering a pathway for reconciliation in contexts marked by contested histories and enduring nationalist tensions.