Presentation Schedule
Lost in Transliteration: Seeking the Remnants of Australian Occupied Hiroshima (92427)
Session Chair: Sean Brawley
Friday, 13 June 2025 10:45
Session: Session 1
Room: Room 114 (1F)
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
This paper explores the complex and underrepresented history of Australian involvement in post-war Hiroshima through the lens of overlooked narratives. After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, Australian forces, as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF), assumed control of Hiroshima Prefecture. Despite this significant presence, Australian contributions to the reconstruction and cultural landscape of Hiroshima remain largely obscured in both Japanese and Western historiographies.
Drawing on archival research and fieldwork conducted in Japan and Australia, this study investigates the roles of key Australian figures such as Stanley Archibald Jarvie and Dr. David Harvey-Sutton, who served as reconstruction advisors. The transliteration of their names and roles into Japanese sources created layers of historical ambiguity, complicating efforts to document their contributions. Jarvie, for instance, played a critical part in designing Hiroshima’s Hakushima district plan and advocating for the preservation of atomic bomb relics, including the A-Bomb Dome, while Harvey-Sutton contributed to the restoration of critical medical infrastructure like the Red Cross Hospital.
The paper argues that the spatial turn in historical studies can illuminate the material and symbolic legacies of the Australian presence. By revisiting and recontextualizing these contributions, the study challenges the dominant narrative that often centres on American influences on post-war Hiroshima, revealing a richer, transnational tapestry of occupation and reconstruction.
Authors:
Sean Brawley, University of Wollongong, Australia
About the Presenter(s)
Professor Sean Brawley is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at University of Wollongong in Australia
Additional website of interest
https://linkedin.com/in/sean-brawley-prof
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