Women’s redress movement for japanese military sexual slavery: Decolonizing history, reconstituting subjects

Abstract

This chapter aims to analyze the changes in discourse and activism of Japanese military “Comfort Women.” Based on a 15-year ethnographic field research as an insider and outsider of the movement, I explore the trajectories of major debates and activism focusing on the Korean Council from a postcolonial feminist perspective. Responding to the continuous Japanese government denial of historical wrongdoings and refusal to accept legal reparation for victims, the Korean women’s movement has strongly supported the victims forming transnational women’s solidarity and reconstructing international norms on sexual violence during the armed conflicts. The most noteworthy is the “Butterfly Fund,” established by Korean survivors to support victims of wartime sexual violence. In the process of the women’s movement, subalterns have changed their identities from invisible ghosts to vocal activists who could finally speak about their experiences, trying to go beyond postcolonial conditions.