The Jacquinot Safe Zone

by Ristaino, Marcia R.

• ISBN13: 9780804757935
• ISBN10: 0804757933
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-02-13
• Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr

Summary

When Japanese forces attacked Shanghai in 1937, a French Jesuit, Father Robert Jacquinot de Besange, S.J., heroically stood up for human life. Father Jacquinot, who spent twenty-seven years in China, was determined to provide safety and refuge to victims of modern warfare. Through relentless negotiations and deft diplomacy, Father Jacquinot convinced Japanese and Chinese military leaders to allow for the establishment of a safe zone in the midst of the ongoing war. Father Jacquinot's example was subsequently copied in other Chinese cities and saved the lives of more than half a million Chinese civilians over the course of the brutal Sino-Japanese war. The Jacquinot Zone is mentioned by name in both the Protocols and Commentaries to the Geneva Convention of 1949. This book explores the leadership qualities and personality of Father Jacquinot and what prompted him to take such a surprisingly bold stance in coming to the aid of war refugees and civilians. The book delves into the special circumstances that contributed to this unique and fascinating historical episode. Father Jacquinots work in creating a safe zone for refugees fleeing wartime chaos is singular in history and provides an important example for the protection and support of refugees today.

Author Biography

Marcia R. Ristaino is a Research Associate at the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, consultant to the U.S./China Policy Foundation, and formerly a Senior China Specialist at the Library of Congress. She is the author of China's Art of Revolution: The Mobilization of Discount (1989) and Port of Last Resort: The Diaspora Communities of Shanghai (Stanford, 2001).

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
The Early Years	p. 1
Arrival in China	p. 17
Shanghai in Torment	p. 35
The Jacquinot Zone	p. 54
The Jacquinot Zone Copied	p. 81
Raising Funds Abroad	p. 104
Life in the Jacquinot Zone	p. 117
Final Days and Legacy	p. 134
Epilogue	p. 151
Appendixes
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva. 12 August 1949	p. 159
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977	p. 161
Notes	p. 163
Bibliography	p. 185
Index	p. 201
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