The Ghosts of Peleliu: The Intertwined Traumatic Memories of a World War II Battle

In this talk, OSU Professor Cabanes, who undertook several research trips to Palau between 2017 and 2023, explores the intertwined memories—American, Japanese, and Palauan—of one of the most violent battles of the Pacific War. The battle of Peleliu devastated local communities, remade landscapes, and took the lives of thousands of U.S. Marines and Japanese soldiers. Cabanes meditates on the nature of memory and forgetting, the presence of the past in the present, and the challenges of writing histories shaped by trauma. Bruno Cabanes, Professor and Donald G. & Mary A. Dunn Chair in Modern Military History Nicholas Breyfogle (Moderator), Professor of History and Director, Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching, The Ohio State University