Antyjapońskie resentymenty i nacjonalizm reakcyjny w Korei Południowej

Anti-Japanese Resentments and Reactivist Nationalism in South Korea

Understanding the importance of Japan’s place in the South Korean nationalism helps to explain the causes of contemporary conflicts between Seoul and Tokyo. The power of the anti-Japanese resentments in South Korea can surprise outside observers who do not take into account the importance of nationalism. While everyday anti-Japanese resentments may go unnoticed, they are reproduced by “banal” nationalism. Due to this, they can be used for national mobilization at any time. This research examines South Korean nationalism based on anti- Japanese resentments, which can now be described as reactivist nationalism. This concept is proposed in our text to describe the change in the function of Korean nationalism based on anti-Japanese resentments while still putting Japan (or rather, a certain rhetorical vision of Japan as a colonizer) in the role of the Significant Other. Anti-Japanese resentments began to function as a means of mobilizing the nation in response not only to Japanese actions, seen as provocations, but also to express the people’s dissatisfaction with their own government (by linking authoritarian rule with the legacy of the colonial period). Understanding the role of anti-Japanese resentment is a key to assessing South Korea’s decisions, both domestically and internationally.

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