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WAR, GUILT, AND WORLD POLITICS AFTER WORLD WAR II. By Thomas U. Berger. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012. vii, 259 pp. (Tables.) US$30.95, paper. ISBN 978-1-107-67495-0.
This book is an exceptionally timely investigation into the role of history as a determinant of foreign relations in "an age of apology and recrimination" (8). This applies particularly in the case of Japan, but a recent television drama Unsere Muetter, Unsere Va et er ("Generation War") in Germany also reignited historical debates in that country and sparked renewed acrimony with its Polish neighbour. In this volume Berger seeks to deconstruct the way that three states-Germany, Austria and Japan-have formed their official historical narratives and trace the domestic and international consequences that resulted. To achieve this he employs a concept he dubs "Historical Realism," (2) which exhibits a dual nature. In the first sense it identifies the power of the state to shape official narratives, often for practical political purposes. Second, he adds that there are caveats and limits to the ability of the state to exercise complete control of historical discourse, due, for example, to "insurgent narratives" from other (unrepresented) quarters of society (3).
In the first chapter Berger provides an analytical framework to superintend the discussion of the three cases stuthes. The framework, guided by the principle of historical realism, outlines three core approaches...