Seventy-five years on : an ethnographic exploration of oral histories on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Anthropology
Degree name
Master of Arts
Publisher
University of Canterbury
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
English
Date
2021
Authors
Shimasaki, Olivia
Abstract

This thesis explores the human experiences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima since August 6th, 1945. Employing ethnographic approaches of participant observation, fieldwork, and narrative analysis, narrative accounts of thirteen research participants within cultural settings were examined. This exploratory research attempts to build on awareness and understandings of survivor’s experiences. Findings suggest survivors of the atomic bombing have faced trauma, silence, physical injury, and social discrimination, amongst other impacts. Over time, responses towards hibakusha [a person affected by the atomic bombing/s of Hiroshima/Nagasaki, or its radioactivity] and nuclear weapons have changed. Memory of the event is considered throughout this research, as seventy-five years has passed since the indiscriminate atomic bombings by the United States against Japan. Research findings reveal the different perspectives and understandings held by individuals of the same event. This thesis argues that collection of narratives on human experiences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima provides an important contribution to our understanding of the event, and its past, present, and future impacts and implications.

Description
Citation
Keywords
Hiroshima, Atomic bomb, Survivor, Hibakusha, Memory, Trauma
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Rights
All Rights Reserved