Celebrating the humane superpower: Chinese nationalism, the Holocaust and transnational heritage politics at Shanghai's Jewish Refugees Museum

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the portrayal of the Nazi Holocaust in Chinese public culture, focusing on the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (SJRM). It argues that contemporary Western preoccupations with coloniality/decoloniality are unhelpful in understanding the Communist Party's efforts to project influence abroad, and reinforce legitimacy at home. The SJRM shows how these efforts extend to fierce competition with Japan for UNESCO recognition of war-related heritage, as each country trumpets its role in saving Jews from the Holocaust. Official interest in the Holocaust as heritage remains overwhelmingly instrumental, focused on enhancing the international reputation of Shanghai and China.