Listed in: American Studies, as AMST-374 | History, as HIST-374
Franklin S. Odo (Section 01)
(Offered as AMST 374 and HIST 374 [US]) In the largest incidence of forced removal in American history, the U.S. incarcerated 120,000 people of Japanese descent during WWII, two-thirds of whom were American citizens. Preceded by half a century of organized racism, the attack on Pearl Harbor provided justification for imprisonment of an entire ethnic group solely on the basis of affiliation by “blood.” At the same time, Japanese Americans served in the U.S. military with extraordinary distinction, earning recognition in the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in American military history. Thousands more served in the Military Intelligence Service using their knowledge of the Japanese language as a “secret weapon” against the Japanese Empire. We will examine the historical background leading to these events and Japanese American resistance to official actions including the cases of Yasui, Hirabayashi, Korematsu, and Endo which reached the U.S. Supreme Court. We will also explore the imposition of the draft upon men behind barbed wire and those who became draft resisters. We will also trace the post-war rise of movements to gain redress, successful with President Reagan’s signing of HR 442 in 1988, and the extraordinary rise of memorials and museums commemorating incarceration and memory-making.
Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. McCloy Visiting Professor Odo.
Section 01
W 02:00 PM - 04:30 PM CHAP 201
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian American Dreams | Farrar, Straus and Girouz | Zia, Helen | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Personal Justice Denied: Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians | University of Washington Press | Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| No Sword to Bury: Japanese Americans in Hawai'i during World War II | Temple University Press | Odo, Franklin | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Race, Rights and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment | Wolters Kluwer | Yamamoto, Eric, et. al | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.