European Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures HKU

Martin Chung is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and International Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. He holds a PhD in European Studies from the University of Hong Kong (2014) and a master's degree from the University of Macau (2008). Previously, he was Research Assistant Professor of the European Union Academic Programme Hong Kong and a lecturer at the University of St. Joseph (Macau). His other recent publications include: Reconciling with the Past: Resources and Obstacles in a Global Perspective (Routledge 2017, co-edited with Annika Frieberg); “Against Loveless Judging: Fritz Bauer and Transitional Justice in Postwar Germany”, International Journal of Transitional Justice (Oxford University Press), DOI: 10.1093/ijtj/ijx027. At present, he is starting a new project on political reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

In his first monograph, Repentance for the Holocaust (Cornell University Press 2017), Martin Chung develops the biblical idea of "turning" (tshuvah) into a conceptual framework to analyze a particular area of contemporary German history, commonly referred to as Vergangenheitsbewältigung or “coming to terms with the past.” Chung examines a selection of German responses to the Nazi past, their interaction with the victims' responses, and their correspondence with biblical repentance. By establishing the conformity between those responses and the idea of “turning,” Chung argues that the biblical texts encapsulating this idea are viable intellectual resources for dialogues among victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and their descendants in the discussion of guilt and responsibility, justice and reparation, remembrance and reconciliation. In this talk, Chung will present the core argument of the book and introduce his related research efforts and outputs.

24 January 2018

SMLC seminar: Book Launch - Repentance for the Holocaust: Lessons from Jewish Thought for Confronting the German Past Dr. C. K. Martin Chung Assistant Professor, Government and International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University Time: 4:30 pm – 6:00pm Venue: CRT 4.36, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Martin Chung is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and International Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. He holds a PhD in European Studies from the University of Hong Kong (2014) and a master's degree from the University of Macau (2008). Previously, he was Research Assistant Professor of the European Union Academic Programme Hong Kong and a lecturer at the University of St. Joseph (Macau). His other recent publications include: Reconciling with the Past: Resources and Obstacles in a Global Perspective (Routledge 2017, co-edited with Annika Frieberg); “Against Loveless Judging: Fritz Bauer and Transitional Justice in Postwar Germany”, International Journal of Transitional Justice (Oxford University Press), DOI: 10.1093/ijtj/ijx027. At present, he is starting a new project on political reconciliation in Northern Ireland. In his first monograph, Repentance for the Holocaust (Cornell University Press 2017), Martin Chung develops the biblical idea of "turning" (tshuvah) into a conceptual framework to analyze a particular area of contemporary German history, commonly referred to as Vergangenheitsbewältigung or “coming to terms with the past.” Chung examines a selection of German responses to the Nazi past, their interaction with the victims' responses, and their correspondence with biblical repentance. By establishing the conformity between those responses and the idea of “turning,” Chung argues that the biblical texts encapsulating this idea are viable intellectual resources for dialogues among victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and their descendants in the discussion of guilt and responsibility, justice and reparation, remembrance and reconciliation. In this talk, Chung will present the core argument of the book and introduce his related research efforts and outputs.