Rasa Island: What Industrialization To Remember and Forget

Rasa Island, once a thriving company town of the Rasa Phosphate Industry Inc., offers a counter-narrative to Japan's celebratory industrialization history. Now abandoned, the island reveals the darker, more complex aspects of industrialization that are often overlooked in UNESCO World Heritage Sites like those representing Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution. This study uses critical heritage studies to explore what 'industrial heritage' signifies in post-industrial societies and how it is performed at these sites. By contrasting Rasa Island with the more sanitized narratives found at other heritage sites, the research highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of industrial heritage, one that acknowledges both its achievements and its often-neglected consequences.

Mizuno, H. (2017). Rasa Island: What Industrialization To Remember and Forget. Asia-Pacific Journal, 15(17). https://doi.org/10.1017/s1557466017013213