Altered Lives, Enduring Community: Japanese Americans Remember Their World War II Incarceration

Altered Lives, Enduring Community examines the long-term effects on Japanese Americans of their World War II experiences: forced removal from their Pacific Coast homes, incarceration in desolate government camps, and ultimate resettlement. As part of Seattle's Densho: Japanese American Legacy Project, the authors collected interviews and survey data from Japanese Americans now living in King County, Washington, who were imprisoned during World War II. Their clear-eyed, often poignant account presents the contemporary, post-redress perspectives of former incarcerees on their experiences and the consequences for their life course.

Using descriptive material that personalizes and contextualizes the data, the authors show how prewar socioeconomic networks and the specific characteristics of the incarceration experience affected Japanese American readjustment in the postwar era. Topics explored include the effects of incarceration and resettlement on social relationships and community structure, educational and occupational trajectories, marriage and childbearing, and military service and draft resistance. The consequences of initial resettlement location and religious orientation are also examined.

Author: Stephen S. Fugita, Marilyn Fernandez
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Published: 04/01/2004
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.84lbs
Size: 9.02h x 6.16w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9780295983813

Review Citation(s):
Multicultural Review 12/01/2004 pg. 70
Choice 05/01/2005 pg. 1655

About the Author

Stephen S. Fugita is distinguished professor of psychology and ethnic studies, Santa Clara University, and coauthor of Japanese American Ethnicity: The Persistence of Community. Marilyn Fernandez is associate professor and chair of sociology, Santa Clara University.