Public History in Japan: Theory and Practice

This book explores how public history, a field developing globally, is gaining attention in Japan and being incorporated into existing Japanese academic studies and practices. Public history in Japan is conducted through an interdisciplinary approach, involving not only history but also folklore, sociology, cultural studies, and tourism studies. Introducing the perspective of public history means more than just applying an imported discipline to Japan; it involves a broad reconsideration of existing scholarly research and practices. Part I of the book provides an overview of the current state of academia in Japan as described above. Part II presents several case studies of public history practices, digital public history, and museums and archives dealing with difficult aspects of the past such as minority issues and environmental pollution in postwar Japan. This book not only illustrates the current state of public history in Japan but also offers a glimpse into the internationalization of today's public history, fostering active exchanges among researchers and practitioners worldwide. This book explores how public history, a field developing globally, is gaining attention in Japan and being incorporated into existing Japanese academic studies and practices. Public history in Japan is conducted through an interdisciplinary approach, involving not only history but also folklore, sociology, cultural studies, and tourism studies. Introducing the perspective of public history means more than just applying an imported discipline to Japan; it involves a broad reconsideration of existing scholarly research and practices. Part I of the book provides an overview of the current state of academia in Japan as described above. Part II presents several case studies of public history practices, digital public history, and museums and archives dealing with difficult aspects of the past such as minority issues and environmental pollution in postwar Japan. This book not only illustrates the current state of public history in Japan but also offers a glimpse into the internationalization of today's public history, fostering active exchanges among researchers and practitioners worldwide.