ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

History, Memory and Trauma: Writing Against Erasure in Han Kang’s Human Acts

This paper explores how Han Kang in her novel Human Acts (2014) writes against historical erasure of the Gwangju massacre perpetrated by the state in May 1980. This paper argues that this novel is an attempt to subvert the official historiography of the Gwangju massacre and bring to light the truth about state brutality legitimized in the name of subduing communist involvement from North Korea. The narrative centres around different characters whose lives become inextricably entangled during those fateful days leading to the eventual suppression of the protest through extreme violence by the army. I will also argue that the characters resist official historiography by telling their own history through individual and collective remembrances. The novel critiques the wilful negligence of the then governing officials to acknowledge the violent atrocities committed against the people of Gwangju during the 1980 democratization movement, and the absence of the so called ‘conscience” in these perpetrators. This paper will also argue that the novel is a reminder of the deepest wounds of history and to never forget, considering the contemporary South Korean Political scenario. I will also argue that the characters, including the writer are resilient against violence and injustice through their own separate individual efforts. The novel tells a profound story of resilience, human empathy and resistance against state brutality.