2024/12/18 by A.J. Faas, Alyssa Singh, Cibella Gamma · 2 voices
Social Sciences · #Japanese History and Culture
paper · doi:10.1080/00187259.2024.2429992
openalex publication_date 2024/12/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14
In collaboration with the Japanese American Museum of San José, California, we examined their exhibit of WWII-era incarceration of Japanese Americans to understand how the presentation of different positionalities (e.g., Japanese/American, loyal/disloyal) engage with and contest the terms of incarceration and internal politics within the Japanese American community. In our analysis, we focus on the reproduction and contestation of particular narratives of power and identity and treat the memorial exhibit as a variety of community-based “trauma portfolio” that unsettles state bureaucratic constructions of suffering and (in)justice. We conclude by identifying transformative possibilities for engaging with the different positionalities of incarcerated people.