Emily Roxworthy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824832209
- eISBN:
- 9780824869359
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824832209.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This book contests the notion that the U.S. government’s internment policies during World War II had little impact on the postwar lives of most Japanese Americans. After the curtain was lowered on ...
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This book contests the notion that the U.S. government’s internment policies during World War II had little impact on the postwar lives of most Japanese Americans. After the curtain was lowered on the war following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many Americans behaved as if the “theatre of war” had ended and life could return to normal. This book demonstrates that this theatrical logic of segregating the real from the staged grew out of the manner in which internment was agitated for and instituted by the U.S. government and media. During the war, Japanese Americans struggled to define themselves within the web of this theatrical logic. The political spectacles staged by the FBI and the American mass media were heir to a theatricalizing discourse that can be traced back to Commodore Matthew Perry’s “opening” of Japan in 1853. The book provides a detailed reconstruction of the FBI’s raids on Japanese American communities. It also makes clear how wartime newspapers framed the evacuation and internment so as to discourage white Americans from sympathizing with their former neighbors of Japanese descent. The book juxtaposes analysis of these political spectacles with a look at cultural performances staged by Issei and Nisei at two of the most prominent “relocation centers”: California’s Manzanar and Tule Lake. The camp performances enlarge our understanding of the impulse to create art under oppressive conditions. Taken together, wartime political spectacles and the performative attempts at resistance by internees demonstrate the logic of racial performativity that underwrites American national identity.Less
This book contests the notion that the U.S. government’s internment policies during World War II had little impact on the postwar lives of most Japanese Americans. After the curtain was lowered on the war following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many Americans behaved as if the “theatre of war” had ended and life could return to normal. This book demonstrates that this theatrical logic of segregating the real from the staged grew out of the manner in which internment was agitated for and instituted by the U.S. government and media. During the war, Japanese Americans struggled to define themselves within the web of this theatrical logic. The political spectacles staged by the FBI and the American mass media were heir to a theatricalizing discourse that can be traced back to Commodore Matthew Perry’s “opening” of Japan in 1853. The book provides a detailed reconstruction of the FBI’s raids on Japanese American communities. It also makes clear how wartime newspapers framed the evacuation and internment so as to discourage white Americans from sympathizing with their former neighbors of Japanese descent. The book juxtaposes analysis of these political spectacles with a look at cultural performances staged by Issei and Nisei at two of the most prominent “relocation centers”: California’s Manzanar and Tule Lake. The camp performances enlarge our understanding of the impulse to create art under oppressive conditions. Taken together, wartime political spectacles and the performative attempts at resistance by internees demonstrate the logic of racial performativity that underwrites American national identity.
Eileen H. Tamura
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037788
- eISBN:
- 9780252095061
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037788.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
As a leading dissident in the World War II concentration camps for Japanese Americans, Joseph Yoshisuke Kurihara stands out as an icon of Japanese American resistance. In this biography, Kurihara's ...
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As a leading dissident in the World War II concentration camps for Japanese Americans, Joseph Yoshisuke Kurihara stands out as an icon of Japanese American resistance. In this biography, Kurihara's life provides a window into the history of Japanese Americans during the first half of the twentieth century. Born in Hawaiʻi to Japanese parents who immigrated to work on the sugar plantations, Kurihara was transformed by the forced removal and incarceration of ethnic Japanese during World War II. As an inmate at Manzanar in California, Kurihara became one of the leaders of a dissident group within the camp and was implicated in “the Manzanar incident,” a serious civil disturbance that erupted on December 6, 1942. In 1945, after three years and seven months of incarceration, he renounced his U.S. citizenship and boarded a ship for Japan, never to return to the United States. Shedding light on the turmoil within the camps as well as the sensitive and formerly unspoken issue of citizenship renunciation among Japanese Americans, this book explores one man's struggles with the complexities of loyalty and dissent.Less
As a leading dissident in the World War II concentration camps for Japanese Americans, Joseph Yoshisuke Kurihara stands out as an icon of Japanese American resistance. In this biography, Kurihara's life provides a window into the history of Japanese Americans during the first half of the twentieth century. Born in Hawaiʻi to Japanese parents who immigrated to work on the sugar plantations, Kurihara was transformed by the forced removal and incarceration of ethnic Japanese during World War II. As an inmate at Manzanar in California, Kurihara became one of the leaders of a dissident group within the camp and was implicated in “the Manzanar incident,” a serious civil disturbance that erupted on December 6, 1942. In 1945, after three years and seven months of incarceration, he renounced his U.S. citizenship and boarded a ship for Japan, never to return to the United States. Shedding light on the turmoil within the camps as well as the sensitive and formerly unspoken issue of citizenship renunciation among Japanese Americans, this book explores one man's struggles with the complexities of loyalty and dissent.
Eileen H. Tamura
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037788
- eISBN:
- 9780252095061
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037788.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter details Kurihara's time in the Moab isolation camp. After their arrest in the wake of the Manzanar revolt, Kurihara and the other members of the Committee of Five were taken to the jail ...
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This chapter details Kurihara's time in the Moab isolation camp. After their arrest in the wake of the Manzanar revolt, Kurihara and the other members of the Committee of Five were taken to the jail in Bishop, and after a few days, to Lone Pine. Their prosecution was held at bay, however, since WRA officials were able to secure a temporary isolation camp near the town of Moab, Utah. The Moab camp was designed specifically for Nisei, who, as U.S. citizens, could not be transferred to the enemy alien internment camps operated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Within several months after the Manzanar sixteen had entered the Moab camp, other dissidents arrived from the Gila, Manzanar, and Tule Lake camps. No formal charges were made against any of these men either. Rather, they were sent at the discretion of the WRA camp project directors.Less
This chapter details Kurihara's time in the Moab isolation camp. After their arrest in the wake of the Manzanar revolt, Kurihara and the other members of the Committee of Five were taken to the jail in Bishop, and after a few days, to Lone Pine. Their prosecution was held at bay, however, since WRA officials were able to secure a temporary isolation camp near the town of Moab, Utah. The Moab camp was designed specifically for Nisei, who, as U.S. citizens, could not be transferred to the enemy alien internment camps operated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Within several months after the Manzanar sixteen had entered the Moab camp, other dissidents arrived from the Gila, Manzanar, and Tule Lake camps. No formal charges were made against any of these men either. Rather, they were sent at the discretion of the WRA camp project directors.
Karen M. Inouye (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780804795746
- eISBN:
- 9781503600560
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804795746.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Chapter Four examines the intergenerational dynamics of afterlife, with particular attention to how third- and fourth-generation Nikkei in California have worked to perpetuate key aspects of Nikkei ...
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Chapter Four examines the intergenerational dynamics of afterlife, with particular attention to how third- and fourth-generation Nikkei in California have worked to perpetuate key aspects of Nikkei wartime experience. Two case studies form the heart of this chapter: the founding of formal pilgrimages to Manzanar, and the establishment of Fred Korematsu as a key figure in the narrative of incarceration and those who have fought it. In each of these cases, embodiment is crucial for the cultivation of empathetic identification and, thus, agency. Locating historical events with respect to specific sites and individuals, younger generations establish a form of continuing first-person address that demands both identification (as in the case of Korematsu) and imaginative reconstruction (in the case of Manzanar, which remains only in fragments of its original state).Less
Chapter Four examines the intergenerational dynamics of afterlife, with particular attention to how third- and fourth-generation Nikkei in California have worked to perpetuate key aspects of Nikkei wartime experience. Two case studies form the heart of this chapter: the founding of formal pilgrimages to Manzanar, and the establishment of Fred Korematsu as a key figure in the narrative of incarceration and those who have fought it. In each of these cases, embodiment is crucial for the cultivation of empathetic identification and, thus, agency. Locating historical events with respect to specific sites and individuals, younger generations establish a form of continuing first-person address that demands both identification (as in the case of Korematsu) and imaginative reconstruction (in the case of Manzanar, which remains only in fragments of its original state).
Emily Roxworthy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824832209
- eISBN:
- 9780824869359
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824832209.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This chapter explores the self-conscious construction of Japanese American identities and the internment experience in the internee-run Manzanar Free Press, which epitomized the camp newspapers ...
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This chapter explores the self-conscious construction of Japanese American identities and the internment experience in the internee-run Manzanar Free Press, which epitomized the camp newspapers independently published in each of the ten relocation centers. In the face of political spectacularization and racist media slander, internee journalists drew attention to a “spectacle-archive,” recording the ambivalent scrutiny imposed upon them from all sides. At the same time, internees staged intercultural performing arts festivals that defied the U.S. government’s mono-Americanist assimilation policy, which pitted second-generation Nisei against their “Japanesey” Issei parents and criminalized displays of Japanese culture. For internee audiences these intercultural performances made visible the contradictions of American racial performativity. Unfortunately, the fact that this performed resistance lives on mainly through embodied memory has meant that progressive narratives of America’s triumph over adversity—epitomized by the U.S. National Park Service’s celebration of internees’ festivity at Manzanar National Historic Site—have appropriated only the “model minority” interpretation of camp performing arts as rehearsals for assimilation and accommodationist endorsements of U.S. policy.Less
This chapter explores the self-conscious construction of Japanese American identities and the internment experience in the internee-run Manzanar Free Press, which epitomized the camp newspapers independently published in each of the ten relocation centers. In the face of political spectacularization and racist media slander, internee journalists drew attention to a “spectacle-archive,” recording the ambivalent scrutiny imposed upon them from all sides. At the same time, internees staged intercultural performing arts festivals that defied the U.S. government’s mono-Americanist assimilation policy, which pitted second-generation Nisei against their “Japanesey” Issei parents and criminalized displays of Japanese culture. For internee audiences these intercultural performances made visible the contradictions of American racial performativity. Unfortunately, the fact that this performed resistance lives on mainly through embodied memory has meant that progressive narratives of America’s triumph over adversity—epitomized by the U.S. National Park Service’s celebration of internees’ festivity at Manzanar National Historic Site—have appropriated only the “model minority” interpretation of camp performing arts as rehearsals for assimilation and accommodationist endorsements of U.S. policy.
Eileen H. Tamura
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037788
- eISBN:
- 9780252095061
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037788.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter details Kurihara's incarceration. Kurihara was among the Nikkei assigned to Manzanar, one of ten concentration camps for Nikkei, citizens and alien residents alike. Located at the base ...
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This chapter details Kurihara's incarceration. Kurihara was among the Nikkei assigned to Manzanar, one of ten concentration camps for Nikkei, citizens and alien residents alike. Located at the base of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California, Manzanar was in a desert land of extreme temperatures, high winds, and harsh climate. On June 1, 1942, the army's WCCA, which had been running Manzanar, turned over its administration of the camp to a civilian agency, the War Relocation Authority (WRA). Six months after the WRA took control of Manzanar, the camp experienced a revolt that ended in the death of two innocent young men, shaking the confidence of administrators and the sense of security of the inmates. But long before that explosion of hostility, there had been strong undercurrents of resentment at Manzanar that went back ultimately to the frustrations of Nikkei rooted in the long history of discrimination they had endured, especially in California.Less
This chapter details Kurihara's incarceration. Kurihara was among the Nikkei assigned to Manzanar, one of ten concentration camps for Nikkei, citizens and alien residents alike. Located at the base of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California, Manzanar was in a desert land of extreme temperatures, high winds, and harsh climate. On June 1, 1942, the army's WCCA, which had been running Manzanar, turned over its administration of the camp to a civilian agency, the War Relocation Authority (WRA). Six months after the WRA took control of Manzanar, the camp experienced a revolt that ended in the death of two innocent young men, shaking the confidence of administrators and the sense of security of the inmates. But long before that explosion of hostility, there had been strong undercurrents of resentment at Manzanar that went back ultimately to the frustrations of Nikkei rooted in the long history of discrimination they had endured, especially in California.
Eileen H. Tamura
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037788
- eISBN:
- 9780252095061
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037788.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This afterword discusses the three themes that coursed through Kurihara's life: high expectations, his distinctiveness, and a strong sense of justice. Throughout his life, Kurihara maintained high ...
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This afterword discusses the three themes that coursed through Kurihara's life: high expectations, his distinctiveness, and a strong sense of justice. Throughout his life, Kurihara maintained high expectations of himself and his country. Meanwhile, the second theme in Kurihara's life was his distinctiveness. Several instances that set Kurihara apart from others of his generation include his conversion to Catholicism at a time when his family members and most Nikkei were Buddhists, while the relatively small numbers of Christians were primarily Protestants. The third theme of Kurihara's life, important because it explains his actions in the concentration camps and his refusal to attempt to regain his citizenship, was his strong sense of justice. He did what he believed was right and expected others, including the government, to do the same. Indeed, Kurihara's sense of justice caused him to protest vigorously and vociferously at Manzanar.Less
This afterword discusses the three themes that coursed through Kurihara's life: high expectations, his distinctiveness, and a strong sense of justice. Throughout his life, Kurihara maintained high expectations of himself and his country. Meanwhile, the second theme in Kurihara's life was his distinctiveness. Several instances that set Kurihara apart from others of his generation include his conversion to Catholicism at a time when his family members and most Nikkei were Buddhists, while the relatively small numbers of Christians were primarily Protestants. The third theme of Kurihara's life, important because it explains his actions in the concentration camps and his refusal to attempt to regain his citizenship, was his strong sense of justice. He did what he believed was right and expected others, including the government, to do the same. Indeed, Kurihara's sense of justice caused him to protest vigorously and vociferously at Manzanar.
Connie Y. Chiang
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190842062
- eISBN:
- 9780190909635
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190842062.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
During the war, many natural resources and environmental activities were directly connected to the war effort. This chapter examines how Japanese Americans tried to show their patriotism and prove ...
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During the war, many natural resources and environmental activities were directly connected to the war effort. This chapter examines how Japanese Americans tried to show their patriotism and prove their loyalty to the United States by engaging with nature in these prescribed ways. These interactions often involved the production of food, with detainees planting victory gardens and working as sugar beet harvesters at a time when farms were experiencing severe labor shortages. In addition, Japanese Americans at Manzanar participated in a program to cultivate and process guayule, a plant that experts believed could address a nationwide rubber shortage. Participating in these activities became expressions of environmental patriotism.Less
During the war, many natural resources and environmental activities were directly connected to the war effort. This chapter examines how Japanese Americans tried to show their patriotism and prove their loyalty to the United States by engaging with nature in these prescribed ways. These interactions often involved the production of food, with detainees planting victory gardens and working as sugar beet harvesters at a time when farms were experiencing severe labor shortages. In addition, Japanese Americans at Manzanar participated in a program to cultivate and process guayule, a plant that experts believed could address a nationwide rubber shortage. Participating in these activities became expressions of environmental patriotism.