Abstract This paper examines prejudice attitudes towards JapanesesCanadians and Americans. It claims that they often report experiencing estrangement and 'identitydenial' by their fellow citizens. The paper draws upon history and literature to illustrate this phenomenon. It discusses the Japanese internment in the US during WWII, Sapna Cheryan and Benoit Monin's article "Where are You Really From? - Asian Americans and IdentityDenial", and Joy Kogawa's novel "Obasan".
From the Paper "Prejudice may still exist in Canada concerning people of Japanese descent, along with occasional prejudice faced by all newer communities, as may be part of the human process of resettlement, as in Irish immigrants or yore to face considerable ostracism as did members of some Eastern European communities. Early arrivals from China certainly faced ostracism and in central Canada report that they no longer feel a 'visible' minority, the community having developed over time its place in the mainstream, distinction remaining between persons of Chinese origin long established in Canada or those seen as recent arrivals. The point made is that some differentiation or exclusion may be part of the way of the world, more than overt racism, significant only if it produces direct abuse as opposed to exclusion. Then again Kogawa refers to a British Columbia where anti-Japanese and just anti-East Asian racism does seem to have been in place. World War II and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour had pitched feeling against a visible and concentrated community that was not well known to others and suspected of pro-Japanese sympathies. The day was one of racialist thought too, distinct from racism, and lingering belief in a 'yellow peril' resulting from unregulated Asian immigration. Films, hearsay and ordinary ignorance encouraged a generalizing of Asian peoples as though all engaged in secret society activities, in a Fu Manchu motif carried from people of one origin to another."
This paper discusses the history, which led to the formation of the American-Japanese alliance, the partnership itself in terms of its socio-cultural, economic and geopolitical dimensions and the prospects for the future.
Abstract This paper explains that the kind of partnership, which was forged between these two nations following Japan's defeat in the Second World War, is unprecedented, an unlikely alliance between conqueror and conquered, an unequal alliance that places both parties in a position of advantage. The author points out that a major social factor influencing American-Japanese relations is the sense of insecurity and vulnerability, which the Japanese have, being subject to earthquakes, typhoons, tidal waves and the possibility of domination by nations with greater military strength; whereas, to the Japanese, the high degree of self-confidence displayed by Americans comes across as being "mindless arrogance". The paper relates that the Japan's phenomenal economic growth in the span of a single generation, owing largely to its 1960 "income-doubling program", has raised serious problems for the American-Japanese relationship, especially since it was paralleled by a slow decline in the American economy up until the 1980s.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Historical Overview
Social and Cultural Dimensions
Economic Dimensions
Geopolitical Dimensions
Conclusion: The Future of U.S.-Japanese Relations
From the Paper "U.S.-Japanese relations date back to the middle of the nineteenth century, when, in 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay and opened up Japan to trade with the West. The U.S.-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce, signed in 1857, not only gave the United States an immediate advantage over its Western competitors, but also had the profound effect of re-instating the Japanese Emperor and launching Japan on the road to modernization. A more serious consequence, however, was Japan's emerging imperialist ambitions, which were early demonstrated in its launching of the Sino-Japanese War (1895-1895) with its resultant acquisition of Taiwan as well as in its success in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and subsequent annexation of Korea (1910) and Manchuria (1931). "
Tags: debt, conquer, multi-polarity, defense, military
Abstract While there might be more economic efficiency and more economic progress, Canada will lose its ability to hold on to its social programs and ability to control its own autonomy. In other words, the increase of Canadian-American economic integration will restrict the real choices that Canadian leaders can make.
Abstract The study takes a broad exploratory approach to studying issues of identity in the Japanese community in Canada. Chapter I traces the historical settlement of Japanese-Canadians in Canada with reference to how Canada's changing attitudes on dealing with immigrants has affected the way in which Japanese-Canadians perceive themselves. Chapter II researches the relationship between language and identity. Chapter III looks at two types of modern day Japanese in Canada. First, a young student studying at MIT is used as a real life case study. Second, various fictional depictions of Japanese-Canadians are used to delve deeper into issues of Japaneseidentity. The subject matter has not yet been specifically covered in detail by academia (although it has rather more so by fictional writing). Available sources are analyzed closely to try to uncover trends in identity. Sources used vary from academic works (both Japanese and Canadian) on history, sociology, politics, linguistics and psychology; through to personal journal entries and fictional works concerning Japaneseidentity written by Japanese-Canadian authors.
Introduction
The History Of Japanese-Canadians & Canadian Immigration Policy 1877-2003
The Relationship Between Language And The Formation Of Ethnic Identity The Real And Illusory Modern Japanese-Canadian Conclusion
From the Paper "Thus, using Bourdieu's analysis, it is theoretically possible to apply it to the situation of Japanese-Canadians to try to delve deeper into their ethnic self-identity and individual make-up. However, there are various flaws when trying to apply Bourdieu's work. First, Bourdieu interviewed his participants in some depth for his study in order to get a detailed profile of each. This variety of data about Japanese-Canadians is not currently available for this thesis and would need to be obtained first-hand (see "Recommendations" in Conclusion). Second, and more importantly, it is not possible to apply the same analysis intended for a Western, European nation such as France to a complex, Oriental nation such as Japan that prides itself on its "unique" ethnic identity and 90% middle-class (which, if true, renders analysis using economic capital as a variable useless anyhow)."
Tags: conformity, deviance, family, group, individualism, society
Abstract The following paper is an analysis on the 'Americanization' of Japanese culture. Four distinct areas of culture will be analyzed, and in turn, some general analysis will be presented in terms of assigning the causes for this trend. In particular, focus will be given toward understanding how this process must be understood with the 'transformation of identity' that had been taking place in this context.
An exploration of the part of hockey in the composition of Canada's national identity, focusing on a program broadcasted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Abstract The paper looks at multi-ethnicity in Canada and at what unifies this nation. It focuses on the sport of hockey as an important component of the country's national identity. It looks at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and its struggle for identity, claiming that when it broadcasted its first "Hockey Night" in Canada, it found it's "true being". The paper explores the origin and importance of CBC's "Hockey Night" to national unity. It explains how the program crossed the boundaries of young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural, French and English, east and west. The paper also discusses the controversial aspect of the program's time slot, overlapping the national news. The status of the program as a source of education is mentioned and the paper concludes with a review of the contribution of CBC's "Hockey Night" to the national identity of Canadians.
From the Paper "Canada is comprised of many different cultures, spread over a vast geographical region. The only way for all these different types of people all over Canada to create a cohesive united nation to dwell on the similarities, which are shared amongst the majority. Cultural identity, it could be said can found when a whole nation can share in and care about a similar subject. For Canada this sense of national identity is represented by the sport of hockey. In any social or academic setting where the topic of discussion is Canadian identity the lists always begin with peacekeeping and multiculturalism and always come back to hockey. Some may say hockey is only a symbol of Canadian identity, and is no different then a moose, a beaver, or long winters. Hockey however has more then a symbolic animal because hockey gives a spirit of unification and it is here where our country has celebrated some of its greatest victories and most horrifying defeats. The love of the sport of hockey may not be shared by all Canadian citizens, but it is certainly been loved and adored by many since its beginnings in Montreal in 1875."
Abstract This paper examines the interrelated issues of civic pride and identity and the challenges of retaining big league sports teams in Canadian cities. The paper argues that the sources of civic pride are changing, such that hockey is no longer the chief or only source of a sense of civic pride and identity in Canadian cities. Moreover, the paper argues that this is a good thing, as hockey has become increasingly commercialized and public money should not end up in the private pockets of franchise holders.
From the Paper "Fortunately, as we have seen, civic identity and pride is no longer tied exclusively to hockey in Canada. People have grown up and moved on. This is a good thing, as hockey at the same time has morphed into a big-money sport that makes only a very few people richer - mainly just the franchise owners. It is untenable and unconscionable for people to be denied food, healthcare and housing, while taxpayers' money is poured into the pockets of already wealthy franchise owners. This will mean that more Canadian cities will see the departure of their teams to the big, wealthy cities of the USA's sunshine belt. It seems that Canadians will simply have to root their civic pride and identity in benefits for all, and learn to watch the games from afar. Fortunately, most of us have television!"
Tags: franchise, identity, league, commercialization
Abstract In this article the writer studies the theme of regional and ethnic identities that are found in Canadian short stories. The writer examines three different stories for this study. The first story discussed in this regard is 'Death by Landscape' by Margaret Atwood. The second story is 'The Loons' by Margaret Laurence and finally, the writer looks at the story 'The Boat' by Alister MacLeod.
From the Paper "Identity is a common theme in many forms of literature. However in Canadian short stories the idea of the multiple identities is an important theme. In many cases characters show different regional and ethnic identities in the same story. The short stories that will be used to prove this point are "Death by Landscape" by Margaret Atwood, "The Loons" by Margaret Laurence and "The Boat" by Alistair MacLeod". Each of these stories takes place in a different region of Canada and each of these regions has a unique ethnic composition."
A look at the issues of gender and ethnic identity in Asian American film and literature through the review of the films " Double Happiness" and "The Wedding Banquet" and Maxine Hong Kingston's novel " The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghost
2,900 words (approx. 11.6 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 106.95
Abstract This essay looks at the issues of gender and ethnic identity in two films and one novel, Double Happiness, The Wedding Banquet, and Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. These works provide the framework from which a reconsideration of ethnic and gender identity can take place. In these works, this reconsideration of identity centers on balancing old structures of identity with new experience and searching for a potential empowerment and confluence in the balancing the formation of a new identity.
Abstract This paper talks about the communal identity of the blacks that helped them become stronger and more powerful during the hardships of the 1930s. The picture of ?Mrs. Mary Willis,? by Jack Delano, represents a strong and determined black woman, not needing any type of help or support, and able to deal with the adversities of the economic crash and the natural disaster of the Dust Bowl. On the other hand, Richard Wright's article, ?Joe Louis Uncovers Dynamite,? represents the communal identity of the blacks, and how unstoppable and overpowering they can be once they come together as a collective group. The paper discusses how the blacks were represented differently by different people, why Delano portrayed blacks as powerful individuals, while Wright portrayed blacks as having a potential identity as a community that could have an impact in their social status during the 1930s.
Abstract A look at this 19th century school of philosophy, with a focus on three main scholars - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller. All three of these Transcendentalists dealt with the identity of the "self" from different perspectives. The author finds that while they share several key elements - the notion of independence and "entitlement" in thought and action being chief among them?they also diverge on specific applications for the Transcendentalist philosophy.
From the Paper "The American identity has a character and uniqueness all its own, not without obvious cause: never before was such a "grand experiment" of self-rule implemented on such a vast scale. Under the auspices of unprecedented liberty and self-determination, the American consciousness and identity developed with its own flavor and distinction, heavily weighted with the notions of individual freedoms, rights, and responsibilities.
American authors and scholars took that freedom to heart, emerging beyond mere scholarship and letters into the realms of philosophies that influence us to this day. In the nineteenth century, one of the major new philosophical schools of thought in America was the Transcendentalist movement, and a list of its primary "thinkers" now reads like a "Who's Who" of American literature. Among the names on the list are three whose philosophies we will touch on in this essay: Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller."
Abstract This paper studies how the image and identity of Asian Americans, as perpetuated and politicized by media in the U.S. The paper also compares these images to those of African Americans.
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that on February 19, 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese troops, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, setting into motion the mass internment of over 110,000 Japanese-Americans in camps throughout the continental U.S. without trial or charge. Long the victims of racial discrimination, these Japanese-Americans found themselves the targets of an entire nation's hostilities during the war. The writer points out that this act of mass exclusion by the United States prompted very different reactions among the Japanese-American community, key examples of which are found in Monica Sone's 'Nisei Daughter' and John Okada's 'No-no Boy'. The writer discusses that these books, written in the 1950s, after the Japanese internment had ended, present two diametrically opposite responses to the internment of Japanese-American citizens, and explore the newly emerging relationship between Japanese-Americans and the United States in the post-war era.
From the Paper "Continuing where Nisei Daughter left off, but diverging sharply in its portrayal of the Japanese-American experience in the United States, No-No Boy traces the attempts made by Ichiro Yamada, a Japanese American internee who declined to serve in the U.S. army, and the novels central character, to integrate into American society following his internment and consequential imprisonment. The book explores the failure of Japanese American integration in the racially charged aftermath of the Second World War, and is unique in that it develops almost exclusively within the confines of Japanese American culture, where discrimination manifests itself even within the same race."
Abstract The paper contends that the treatment of JapaneseCanadians by the Canadian government during and after World War II was deplorable. The paper then discusses how the Canadian government acknowledged the racist character of these policies in 1988 and offered redress to the JapaneseCanadian population.
From the Paper "Japanese Canadians during the Second World War were forced to contend with a decades-old torrent of racial discrimination that culminated in their internment and forced labor by the Canadian government. The treatment of Japanese Canadians during this period appears particularly cruel-even sinister-when one considers that of the Canadians evacuated from the Pacific Coast of Canada, most were Canadian-born and naturalized Canadian citizens."
Tags:japanesecanadians, world war II, internment, deportation, War Measures Act
This paper argues that America's history of institutionalized racism and white superiority has given way to the displacement and alienation of interracial individuals, thus creating fragmented and broken identities.
Abstract This paper explains that allowing the southern states to decide policy on Reconstruction after the Civil War was a big mistake on the part of the federal government because the South created the Jim Crow laws, which put into motion the segregation of the races. The author points out that the response time for the aid to the New Orleans hurricane victims illustrates that slavery remains ingrained in American culture, dividing Americans into interracial identities of not only race but also class and economic status. The paper examines the works of African-American Langston Hughes and Japanese-American David Mura for contemporary examples of the problem of interracial identities in the U.S..
Table of Contents:
Introduction
America's Civil War and Aftermath
Contemporary Samples
Conclusion
From the Paper "In Langston Hughes' poem "Cross", he discusses what it is like to be a biracial man in America and it is his character's anger that resonates. It is very clear how much he resents being both black and white with the language he chooses. There is the respect he feels for his father but lack of respect for his mother that comes across clearly. As if there is shame involved being a product of the union between two different colored people but also two people from different stations in society. This leaves him not only as a cross between the two people but also with a cross to bear in life as he struggles with his own identity."
Tags: civil-war, reconstruction, japanese-american, division, white
