The Guilt of Nations Restitution and Negotiating Historical Injustices

by Barkan, Elazar

• ISBN13: 9780393048865
• ISBN10: 0393048861
• Edition: 00
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-05-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

The Guilt of Nations explores this increasingly important dynamic in world politics today. Beyond its moral implications, restitution reflects a critical shift in political and economic bargaining. While preserving individual rights, restitution also enables victimized groups to receive growing recognition as groups. Elazar Barkan traces instances of historical crimes, such as the incarceration of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II, the sexual abuse of "comfort women" by Japanese soldiers, and the recent controversy over the financial dealings between Swiss banks and Nazi Germany. He argues that, as countries including the United States, Australia, and New Zealand come to recognize past injustices toward indigenous peoples within their borders, both governments and minority groups are compelled to redress the history of colonialism and redefine national identity. While restitution is not a panacea, this ever-spreading trend represents a new moral order in world politics.

Author Biography

Elazar, Barkan is chair of the Cultural Studies Department and associate professor of history at Claremont Graduate University.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction: Amending Historical Injustices in International Morality	xv
PART I: RESIDUES OF WORLD WAR II
The Faustian Predicament: German Reparation to Jews	3	(27)
American Memory: Japanese Americans Remember the Camps	30	(16)
Sex Slaves: Comfort Women and Japanese Guilt	46	(19)
Plunder as Justice: Russian Victims and Glorious Museums	65	(23)
Nazi Gold and Swiss Solidarity: A New Mechanism for Rewriting Historical Crimes?	88	(24)
Restitution in East Central Europe: Deserving and Undeserving Victims	112	(47)
PART II: COLONIALISM AND ITS AFTERMATH
``First Nations'' Renaissance: Indigenous Groups and the Pluralistic Model	159	(10)
Native American Restitution: Land, Human Remains, and Sacred Objects	169	(47)
Hawaii: The Other Native Americans	216	(16)
Oceanic Models for Indigenous Groups: Australian Aborigines	232	(30)
Once Were Warriors: The Limits of Successful Restitution	262	(21)
Restitution for Slavery: Opportunity or Fantasy?	283	(25)
Conclusion: Toward a Theory of Restitution	308	(43)
Notes	351	(38)
Acknowledgments	389	(2)
Index	391