Inside the Bataan Death March (Paperback)

Kevin C. Murphy

ISBN 10: 0786496819 / ISBN 13: 9780786496815

Published by McFarland & Co Inc, Jefferson, NC, 2014

About this Item

Paperback. For two weeks during the spring of 1942, the Bataan Death March--one of the most widely condemned atrocities of World War II--unfolded. The prevailing interpretation of this event is simple: American prisoners of war suffered cruel treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors while Filipinos, sympathetic to the Americans, looked on. Most survivors of the march wrote about their experiences decades after the war and a number of factors distorted their accounts. The crucial aspect of memory is central to this study--how it is constructed, by whom and for what purpose. This book questions the prevailing interpretation, reconsiders the actions of all three groups in their cultural contexts and suggests a far greater complexity. Among the conclusions is that violence on the march was largely the result of a clash of cultures--undisciplined, individualistic Americans encountered Japanese who valued order and form, while Filipinos were active, even ambitious, participants in the drama. For two weeks during the spring of 1942, the horror of the Bataan Death March--one of the most widely condemned atrocities of World War II--unfolded. The prevailing interpretation of this event is simple: American prisoners of war suffered cruel treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors while Filipinos, sympathetic to the Americans, looked on. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780786496815

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Inside the Bataan Death March (Paperback)
• Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc, Jefferson, NC
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786496819
• ISBN 13: 9780786496815
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

For two weeks during the spring of 1942, the Bataan Death March--one of the most widely condemned atrocities of World War II--unfolded. The prevailing interpretation of this event is simple: American prisoners of war suffered cruel treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors while Filipinos, sympathetic to the Americans, looked on.

Most survivors of the march wrote about their experiences decades after the war and a number of factors distorted their accounts. The crucial aspect of memory is central to this study--how it is constructed, by whom and for what purpose. This book questions the prevailing interpretation, reconsiders the actions of all three groups in their cultural contexts and suggests a far greater complexity. Among the conclusions is that violence on the march was largely the result of a clash of cultures--undisciplined, individualistic Americans encountered Japanese who valued order and form, while Filipinos were active, even ambitious, participants in the drama.

About the Author

Kevin C. Murphy chairs the Department of Humanities at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and two previous books. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware.