Every time I read or hear something about the Japanese internments camps I am astounded at how much of a parallel there was to the Nazi concentration camps with regards to the arbitrary arrests the night of Pearl Harbor, the numbered family identities, the shades drawn down on the buses or trains they were traveling in, and the barbed wire and guard towers surrounding the camps. How the US got away with doing that really is an amazing feat. I think it is appropriate to note though, how much we have moved on as a society by not doing the same thing to Muslims after 9/11 (the Japanese internment camps were only approximately 60 years before).
Although the US does not blatantly oppress minorities like that anymore, oppression of minorities still lies throughout our institutions. Similar to how the Nisei felt that "internment was a 'direct assault on their expectations and identity'" (Nagata, 129), I do not think it would be a major leap to assume economically disadvantaged minorities have similar crises in today's society. Being part of the privileged, white class I have never had to struggle with those ideas. Sure, I have my Jewish-American heritage to think about but living in the Northeast, my identity was never really a problem. Maybe in growing up in Texas as a jew would be different, but the fact is that I would still be a white kid living in America. The next step of researching intergenerational effects of oppression would be comparing how gradual institutional oppression compares to something like an event that defined the Japanese experience. I think the results would be somewhat similar.
You raise many thought-provoking points! I liked how you noted the progress our society has made since WWII particularly, even though it was a small note. Because social justice is an ongoing battle, it is easy to fall into a pessimistic mindset. Our country has such a long way to go before social and economic justice is reached,so working for equality can be overwhelming. However, it's important to celebrate past and on-going victories in order work with a sense of hope.
ReplyDeleteI would like to read more about other disadvantaged minorities as well. The inter-generational effects of trauma/oppression is fascinating and insightful to gain a fuller sense of social context...I know Professor Gerstenblatt reads these, so perhaps you could give us some insight in class?