John Rabe`s Nanking Diaries: A study of his complete records and collection of documents in the context of contemporary sources

• Applicant: Dr. Torsten Weber
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2018 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 412638730

This project proposes to study the Nanjing Massacre of 1937/38 committed by Japanese soldiers in the Chinese capital of Nanjing from the perspective of John Rabe`s diaries. As the main source, for the first time, the complete versions of the diaries which comprise more than 2000 pages, including Rabe`s collection of related materials (letters, photographs, newspaper clippings etc), can be critically examined and evaluated. To contextualize this main source, other war diaries, memoirs, and other writings by witnesses in the German, English, Japanese, and Chinese languages will be used comparatively. Due to the genre of the main source, this project methodologically falls into the field of historical diary research. Rabe`s diaries are no "factual accounts" (J. Rabe, 1942) but 'ego documents' that need to be analyzed also according to their functional dimensions of self-search and self-justification of the diarist. Consequently, this project will not only contribute to research on the Nanjing Massacre itself, on Japanese-Chinese as well as Japanese-German and Chinese-German relations but it will also make contributions to research into war diaries as a case studies that takes into consideration the diarist`s role as a participant with own intentions and changing memories. In addition to being the first analysis of this extraordinary historical source, the special relevance of this project lies in the role the Nanjing Massacre continues to play within the history and memory controversies between Japan and the PR China. The Massacre has remained at centre stage in the public dispute between both countries on the nature and legacy of the Second World War in East Asia and continues to harm the Japanese-Chinese diplomatic relations. Against this background, researchers on the Nanjing Massacre in Japan, China, and elsewhere have long called for a detailed study of the complete versions of the Rabe diaries which was made available to me by John Rabe`s grandson.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants