Filling a Gap in the Global Narrative of World War II History – An Interview with Ivona Ladjevac, Deputy Director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia

On August 28, the launch of *The New History of World War II* (English edition) (hereinafter referred to as *The New WWII History*), edited by the Institute of World History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and published by China Social Sciences Press, together with the international academic symposium “Resurrection through Fire: Civilization and War,” was held in Athens, Greece. Foreign scholars in attendance generally expressed that this new work breaks through the long-standing limitations of “national history” and “Eurocentric history,” fills the gap in Western World War II historiography that has long neglected the importance of China and the Eastern theater, and constructs a more objective and comprehensive narrative of World War II history by integrating multiple perspectives. Our newspaper interviewed one of the attendees, Ivona Ladjevac, Deputy Director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia, inviting her to share her thoughts and reflections on the new book and related academic discussions.

8月28日，由中国社会科学院世界历史研究所主编、中国社会科学出版社出版的《新编第二次世界大战史》（英文版）（以下简称《新编二战史》）新书发布会暨“浴火涅槃：文明与战争”国际学术研讨会在希腊雅典举行。与会外国学者普遍表示，这部新著突破了“民族史”“欧洲中心史”的长期局限，弥补了西方二战史研究一直以来忽视中国及东方战场重要性的空白，通过融合多方视角构建了更加客观、全面的二战史叙事。本报记者采访了与会者之一、塞尔维亚国际政治经济研究所副所长伊沃娜·拉杰瓦茨（Ivona Ladjevac），请她分享自己对新书及相关学术讨论的思考和体会。

*Chinese Social Sciences Today*: What inspiration and insights did you gain from participating in the launch of *The New WWII History* (English edition) and the international symposium “Resurrection through Fire: Civilization and War”?

《中国社会科学报》：您参加了《新编二战史》（英文版）新书发布会暨“浴火涅槃：文明与战争”国际学术研讨会，从中获得怎样的启发和感触？

Ladjevac: This event demonstrated that World War II was not only a military conflict but also a tearing apart of civilization, exerting a profound impact on global political order, cultural memory, and human values. In my view, the conference was like a history lesson on human resilience and rebirth, encouraging participants to see World War II as “living history” that shapes contemporary discussions on nationalism, global cooperation, and human rights. I believe the insights of Chinese scholars are especially valuable, because the history of World War II, especially the history of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, is deeply engraved in the collective memory of the Chinese people.

拉杰瓦茨：此次活动表明，二战不仅是一场军事冲突，更是一次文明撕裂，对全球政治秩序、文化记忆和人类价值观产生了深刻影响。我认为，这场会议如同一堂关于人类韧性与重生的历史课，鼓励与会者将二战视为“活的历史”，塑造着关于民族主义、全球合作和人权的当代讨论。在我看来，中国学者的见解格外宝贵，因为二战的历史尤其是中国人民抗日战争的历史深深地镌刻在中国人的集体记忆之中。

*Chinese Social Sciences Today*: In your view, what are the key differences and innovations of *The New WWII History* compared with existing works on World War II history, especially mainstream Western works? What is its unique contribution to global World War II historiography?

《中国社会科学报》：您认为《新编二战史》与现有的二战史研究著作特别是主流西方论著相比，有哪些关键性的区别和创新之处？它对全球二战史研究的独特贡献是什么？

Ladjevac: *The New WWII History* has some notable differences from mainstream Western works on World War II and makes a completely new contribution. By utilizing multilingual primary sources in Chinese, English, German, Japanese, French, and Russian, the book incorporates many discourses and archival materials that are less frequently used or undervalued in Western narratives, especially materials from China and other non-Western theaters and actors.

拉杰瓦茨：《新编二战史》与西方主流二战研究著作之间有一些显著差异，作出了全新的贡献。通过利用中文、英文、德文、日文、法文和俄文等多语种的一手史料，该书收入了许多在西方叙事中较少被使用或被低估的话语与档案材料，尤其是来自中国及其他非西方战场和行动者的材料。

For Europeans, World War II began on September 1, 1939, with Germany’s invasion of Poland. *The New WWII History* points out that World War II actually began with the September 18 Incident in 1931.[1]1 The September 18 Incident refers to a staged explosion on a railway near Mukden (now Shenyang) on September 18, 1931, used by the Japanese Kwantung Army as a pretext to invade and occupy Northeast China, marking the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression played a crucial role in the overall structure of the World Anti-Fascist War. From Japan’s launch of the September 18 Incident and its occupation of Northeast China, to the outbreak of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937 and Japan’s full-scale war of aggression against China, China endured 14 years of suffering and waged a national war concerning survival, resistance, and liberation. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the earliest to begin and the longest in duration among all theaters of World War II; it was the main Eastern theater and the key front that curbed the wanton expansion of Japanese imperialism in Asia and beyond.

对于欧洲人来说，二战始于1939年9月1日德国入侵波兰。《新编二战史》指出，二战事实上始于1931年的九一八事变。中国人民抗日战争在世界反法西斯战争整体格局中起着至关重要的作用。从日本发动九一八事变、侵占中国东北，到1937年卢沟桥事变爆发、日本发动全面侵华战争，中国经历了长达14年的苦难，开展了一场关乎生存、抵抗与解放的民族战争。中国人民抗日战争是二战各战场中开始最早、持续时间最长的，它是东方主战场，是遏制日本帝国主义在亚洲乃至更大范围内肆意扩张的关键前线。

*The New WWII History* emphasizes that the September 18 Incident in 1931 was the true starting point of the World Anti-Fascist War. I believe this fact must be repeatedly stressed, and this is especially important today—when many people are attempting to distort history. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is not just a chapter in China’s national history; it concerns not only China or the East but the entire world. The September 18 Incident was not an isolated event but the first act of the World Anti-Fascist War. On September 18, 1931, the Chinese people fired the first shot of the anti-fascist resistance, a full eight years before the formal outbreak of World War II in Europe. During these eight years, China, as the first main battlefield resisting the global expansion of fascism, resisted the ambitions of Japanese imperialism with unparalleled tenacity.

《新编二战史》强调，1931年九一八事变才是真正意义上的世界反法西斯战争的起点。我认为，必须反复强调这一事实，这在当下格外重要——现在很多人企图篡改历史。中国人民抗日战争不只是中国国家历史上的一章，它不仅关乎中国或东方，还关乎全世界。九一八事变不是一个孤立事件，而是世界反法西斯战争的第一幕。1931年9月18日，中国人民打响反法西斯第一枪，这比欧洲正式爆发二战早了整整八年。这八年中，中国作为反抗法西斯主义全球扩张的第一个主战场，以无与伦比的坚韧抵抗日本帝国主义的野心。

Therefore, *The New WWII History* fills a gap in the understanding of World War II history for many English-language readers. To date, few single-volume historical works have so explicitly integrated the Chinese perspective into a World War II history written for a global readership. This new work brings some relatively common discourses on World War II history within Chinese academia into the international mainstream, helping to balance world historical narratives. By placing East Asia and China at the center rather than the periphery, the book changes the historical picture in many readers’ minds, enabling them to understand World War II more equally across multiple fronts.

因此，《新编二战史》填补了许多英语读者对二战史认知的一个空白。迄今为止，鲜有单卷本的史学著作如此明确地将中国视角融入面向全球读者书写的二战史。这部新著使一些在中国学术界相对常见的二战史论述进入国际主流话语，有助于平衡世界历史叙事。通过将东亚和中国置于中心而非边缘，该书改变了许多读者心中的历史图景，使他们能够更加平等地从多条战线理解二战。

*Chinese Social Sciences Today*: The English edition of *The New WWII History* is already on sale in Greece and the United States, and plans for publication and promotion in other languages are also being prepared. In your view, what is the significance of the book’s publication and distribution in multiple languages in China and other regions for promoting a profound rethinking of the lessons of World War II among scholars and the broader public, safeguarding world peace, and facilitating transnational exchange and cooperation to address common challenges facing humanity?

《中国社会科学报》：《新编二战史》（英文版）已在希腊和美国开售，其他语种的出版和推广方案也在筹备当中。在您看来，该书以多语言版本在中国和其他地区的出版发行，对于推动各国学者和广大公众深刻反思二战教训、维护世界和平、促进跨国交流合作以应对全人类共同挑战，有何重要意义？

Ladjevac: The publication of the Chinese and English editions of *The New WWII History* has far-reaching significance for historical research, global cultural exchange, and humanity’s pursuit of peace. The publication of the English edition reflects that Chinese academic research achievements have truly entered the global readership’s field of vision, breaking the language barriers that have long constrained cross-regional and cross-cultural exchange of historical perspectives. Readers accustomed to mainstream Western narratives thus gain another civilizational perspective, thereby fostering comparative reflection. This “mutual visibility” can make the global memory of World War II more balanced rather than homogenized.

拉杰瓦茨：《新编二战史》中英文版的面世对于历史研究、全球文化交流以及人类对和平的追求都有着深远意义。该书英文版的出版体现了中国学术研究成果真正进入全球读者视野，打破了长期制约着历史观跨地区、跨文化交流的语言壁垒。习惯于主流西方叙事的读者由此获得了另一种文明视角，进而促成比较性反思。这种“相互可见性”能够使关于二战的全球记忆更加平衡而非同质化。

*The New WWII History* highlights human resilience, solidarity, and the ability to be “reborn from the ashes” after catastrophe. In today’s era of geopolitical tension, the book reminds people that humanity once transcended ideological, racial, and cultural differences to jointly resist aggression, and this experience has enduring significance. The world today faces new forms of conflict, division, and injustice. The history of the Chinese people’s resistance against foreign aggression during World War II reminds us to always bear in mind the power of unity, the necessity of international cooperation, and the eternal values of unyielding perseverance in the face of aggression.

《新编二战史》凸显了人类的韧性、团结，以及在灾难后“涅槃重生”的能力。在当今这个地缘政治紧张的时代，该书提醒人们，人类曾超越意识形态、种族和文化差别共同抵御侵略，这一经验具有持久的启示意义。今日世界面临着新形式的冲突、分裂、不公，中国人民在二战期间抵御外来侵略的历史提醒我们要时刻牢记团结的力量、国际合作的必要性以及面对侵略坚守不屈的永恒价值观。

◇ Chinese Social Sciences Today reporter Wang Youran

◇中国社会科学报记者 王悠然

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧