Before Internment: Essays in Prewar Japanese American History

Asian America

by Yuji Ichioka, Gordon Chang (Editor), Eiichiro Azuma (Editor)

This is a collection of the last essays by Yuji Ichioka, the foremost authority on Japanese-American history, who passed away two years ago. The essays focus on Japanese Americans during the interwar years and explore issues such as the nisei (American-born generation) relationship toward Japan, Japanese-American attitudes toward Japan's prewar expansionism in Asia, and the meaning of "loyalty" in a racist society—all controversial but central issues in Japanese-American history. Ichioka draws from original sources in Japanese and English to offer an unrivaled picture of Japanese Americans in these years. Also included in this volume are an introductory essay by editor Eiichiro Azuma that places Ichioka's work in Japanese-American historiography, and a postscript by editor Chang reflecting on Ichioka's life-work.

393 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2006

Reviews

[Stephen Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing collection of essays. It's interesting how many of the essays focus on men who must have been rather annoying in life.