The Comfort Women: Sexual Violence and Postcolonial Memory in Korea and Japan

by C. Sarah Soh

In an era marked by atrocities perpetrated on a grand scale, the tragedy of the so-called comfort women—mostly Korean women forced into prostitution by the Japanese army—endures as one of the darkest events of World War II. These women have usually been labeled victims of a war crime, a simplistic view that makes it easy to pin blame on the policies of imperial Japan and therefore easier to consign the episode to a war-torn past. In this revelatory study, C. Sarah Soh provocatively disputes this master narrative.

Soh reveals that the forces of Japanese colonialism and Korean patriarchy together shaped the fate of Korean comfort women—a double bind made strikingly apparent in the cases of women cast into sexual slavery after fleeing abuse at home. Other victims were press-ganged into prostitution, sometimes with the help of Korean procurers. Drawing on historical research and interviews with survivors, Soh tells the stories of these women from girlhood through their subjugation and beyond to their efforts to overcome the traumas of their past. Finally, Soh examines the array of factors— from South Korean nationalist politics to the aims of the international women’s human rights movement—that have contributed to the incomplete view of the tragedy that still dominates today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Japan, Feminism, Asia, World War II, War

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is that this is probably the best work on the topic. Simultaneously sympathetic and nuanced, Soh complicates a nationalized issue where multiple authorities claim legitimacy on "Official History." This is important because as the author evidences, the so-called "Comfort System" did not appear in a vacuum. They are a product of capitalism, war, and masculinist legitimization of the male desire for sex. While most people, influenced by nationalist historiography, would probably dismiss such a view, I highly recommend this text for anyone who has an open mind and is willing to learn beyond the dichotomy of Victimized (Korea) and Victimizer (Japan). While she might appear biased at points, as the pieces fall into place, we see a holistic view of an issue that still lingers today and we can take comfort in the fact that this is neither pro-Japan revisionism (although some of the arguments have been appropriated by Japanese neo-nationalists), nor is it simply another retelling of post-colonial Korean victimization. These issues need to be discussed and explored beyond the bounds of nationalism—after all, while the Historical Comfort System in all its brutality may have died on August 15, 1945, comfort systems continue to exist today within Korea, Japan, and beyond. We need to look at the systematic factors that enables this behavior and these policies, and I believe that this book has done an excellent job of accomplishing just that.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-rounded historical account of comfort women. The narrative has changed since this book was written, and the author did well to predict that.
Super impressed that she untangled the topic of comfort women that has been compounded with a multitude of nationalist-fueled narratives on both sides and is surrounded by baseless claims with mixed apologies and reconciliation…
I especially appreciated her thorough analysis of what she calls the concentric structural conjuncture of Korea’s comfort women tragedy: “The lifelong suffering of South Korean survivors, I maintain, has been entrenched in the concentric structural conjuncture of
(1) gender inequality in masculinist sexual culture and patriarchal abuse of power against wives and daughters at home; (2) class exploitation in society under capitalist economy; (3) “race" discrimination under colonial rule of Imperial Japan; and (4) Korea’s unequal diplomatic relations with Japan (during and after colonial rule) and with the United States after the war in the nation-state power dynamics to redress historical wrongdoings” (105-106).
To break the historical account into these four categories and to ultimately tie them together was an interesting approach that I learned a lot from.
The author was neutral in my taste when criticizing Japan and giving credit where it was due, and also allocating some of the blame back on to Korea when appropriate. Her discussion of han was necessary to humanize the accounts and tie them into the broader Korean history of resilience and suffering, but also to analyze the motives of individual comfort women. I was astounded to read testimonies of women that preferred their life as a comfort woman compared to the suffering they experienced before.
Generally I learned immensely from this book and have a deeper understanding of the complexity behind comfort women. Korea and the US have much to take accountability for, but I will forever hate Japan for being the mastermind

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the parts about the crushing patriarchy of Korean society to be the most interesting, as well as comparisons to Japanese sex tourism today. The stories of the Korean women who left home to become "modern girls" and were duped into slavery were heartbreaking, but Soh's call that we should remember those who entered prostitution willing (but were still exploited) is my main takeaway here.

[Sara Goldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was really shocked to learn how nuanced the comfort women issue is. I always thought it was essentially women forced into sexual slavery but turns out there were a whole range of situations involved (ranging from consenting sex workers, to coerced prostitution, to mass rape). Soh does a great job of conveying the gray area whereas many people on both sides would have you believe it’s a black and white issue.

[Jenny Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A harrowing novel about post-war trauma, Korean mythology, and the tensions between western and eastern culture. I love the shift in perspective between mother and daughter. It's as much about Rebecca's strength as it is about familial love and survival. So hard to believe that this is the author's first novel. She's absolutely brilliant.

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A provocative and nuanced thesis that sees the "comfort women" of Japan and Korea as fully realized human beings instead of simple victims. Worth reading, although a bit jargony -- but this is a flaw shared by many academic books.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my graduate school's modern history class, and it is by far the best book that I have ever read.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

duro

[Ainsley]

Read for HST 217

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concise documenting of comfort women and the multitudes of perspectives. Some parts were too modernist in interpretation but the collection of data was remarkably objective.

[rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read most of it

[Milk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly informative, very interesting and compelling study on "comfort women".

At times it was difficult to read. Knowing the memories and facts within were real and not fiction made for a tough but necessary read.

I particularly enjoyed the way the study positioned itself to look beyond the Japanese war itself, and instead went through the early conditions that women faced in order to uncover the roots of the abuse.

A fascinating look into the lives and conditions faced by Korean, Japanese, Dutch and Filipino women as well as the attitudes of both Korea and Japan to women and sex.

Very much a recommended read for anyone with an interest in these topics.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Comfort Women for my final research paper on Comfort Women for my undergraduate degree. It is an amazing piece of information for anyone interested in the topic of comfort women or as a key source for your own research. It is analytical without losing the interest of the audience or losing factual accuracy. This is not an easy read, but the topic itself is not an easy topic to digest. This is a definite read for anyone interested in Japanese Imperialism/WWII history or in Korean history.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a really fabulous book for people interested in Comfort Women or the intricacies of World War Two in East Asia, although it's a bit too academic and deals with too heavy a topic to be an easy read. I thought it was a fine book, but I wasn't all that interested in it because I read it for a class.

[Anh Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best anthro-historical treatments of the subject with nuanced and complex analyses.