“Thank you for remembering us.”
--Survivor Yong-Soo “Grandma” Lee (b.Korea, 1928)
“The Guide reveals the huge amount of work that went into its creation: finding the primary sources; creating the timelines; and creating the prompts to guide students deeper into the sources and the events they reveal. It's all very well done.”
—Uldis Kruze, Professor of History, University of San Francisco
“An innovative approach to inform the next generation of the tragedies that happened to real people many years before they were born. The author and contributors bring life to these sad memories while also examining this tragic history from historical bird’s eye view and looking towards the future.”
—Theresa Der-Lan Yeh, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and research fellow of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, National Taiwan University
“Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide, 3rd ed.
Author: Sung Sohn
Contributors: Christina Tang, Faye Kwan, Erin Hanlon, Eric Mar, Steven Whyte & Ellen Wilson
Paperback: 205 pages
Publication date: March 2021
ISBN: 978-1-950111-05-3
The “comfort women” history is a long legacy of fighting for justice that resulted in the transnational movement for women’s human rights and empowerment. “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide (3rd ed.) illuminates both the history of the Japanese military sex slavery system and the international effort to bring justice to the victims of these war crimes. Composed of a historical overview, primary and secondary source documents from the 1930s to modern times, and relevant lesson plans and activity sheets, the teachers’ edition is a comprehensive guide for educators seeking to teach about this sidelined atrocity. This third edition of “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide is part of an ongoing effort to provide education on the history and issues surrounding Japanese military sexual slavery. It is comprised of five main parts:
1) the history of remembering and honoring “comfort women” through education and collective activism;
2) reflections from a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Eric Mar, who proposed a resolution to install a memorial for “comfort women,” and from sculptor Steven Whyte, who designed the Women’s Column of Strength, co-written by gallery director, Ellen Wilson;
3) primary source documents with background information;
4) victims’ testimonies from Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and the Netherlands;
5) lesson plans, worksheets, and activity sheets.
Lesson plans were developed by Christina Tang, Faye Kwan, and Erin Hanlon, active Bay Area history teachers who are committed to teaching the history of marginalized populations. Parents and educators developed activity sheets to reinforce and integrate learning. These supplemental materials include a back-to-back sheet of quick facts on military sex slaves and a map that can be used as a paper fortune teller origami activity and puzzles. Together with dedicated teachers, parents, and advocates, Education for Social Justice Foundation (ESJF) distributed “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide in SFUSD in spring 2018.
--Survivor Yong-Soo “Grandma” Lee (b.Korea, 1928)
“The Guide reveals the huge amount of work that went into its creation: finding the primary sources; creating the timelines; and creating the prompts to guide students deeper into the sources and the events they reveal. It's all very well done.”
—Uldis Kruze, Professor of History, University of San Francisco
“An innovative approach to inform the next generation of the tragedies that happened to real people many years before they were born. The author and contributors bring life to these sad memories while also examining this tragic history from historical bird’s eye view and looking towards the future.”
—Theresa Der-Lan Yeh, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and research fellow of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, National Taiwan University
“Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide, 3rd ed.
Author: Sung Sohn
Contributors: Christina Tang, Faye Kwan, Erin Hanlon, Eric Mar, Steven Whyte & Ellen Wilson
Paperback: 205 pages
Publication date: March 2021
ISBN: 978-1-950111-05-3
The “comfort women” history is a long legacy of fighting for justice that resulted in the transnational movement for women’s human rights and empowerment. “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide (3rd ed.) illuminates both the history of the Japanese military sex slavery system and the international effort to bring justice to the victims of these war crimes. Composed of a historical overview, primary and secondary source documents from the 1930s to modern times, and relevant lesson plans and activity sheets, the teachers’ edition is a comprehensive guide for educators seeking to teach about this sidelined atrocity. This third edition of “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide is part of an ongoing effort to provide education on the history and issues surrounding Japanese military sexual slavery. It is comprised of five main parts:
1) the history of remembering and honoring “comfort women” through education and collective activism;
2) reflections from a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Eric Mar, who proposed a resolution to install a memorial for “comfort women,” and from sculptor Steven Whyte, who designed the Women’s Column of Strength, co-written by gallery director, Ellen Wilson;
3) primary source documents with background information;
4) victims’ testimonies from Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and the Netherlands;
5) lesson plans, worksheets, and activity sheets.
Lesson plans were developed by Christina Tang, Faye Kwan, and Erin Hanlon, active Bay Area history teachers who are committed to teaching the history of marginalized populations. Parents and educators developed activity sheets to reinforce and integrate learning. These supplemental materials include a back-to-back sheet of quick facts on military sex slaves and a map that can be used as a paper fortune teller origami activity and puzzles. Together with dedicated teachers, parents, and advocates, Education for Social Justice Foundation (ESJF) distributed “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide in SFUSD in spring 2018.