Event Title
Konichiwa America; Japanese War Brides in Michigan
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Social Studies
Mentor Information
Kathleen Underwood
Department
Women and Gender Studies
Location
Kirkhof Center KC3
Start Date
10-4-2013 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2013 2:00 PM
Keywords
Culture, Gender, Historical Perspectives, Identity, Social Science, U.S. Diversity, War and Peace
Abstract
As a result of the Immigration Act of 1924, Asian immigration into the US halted. Anti-immigration, and in particular anti-Japanese, sentiment reached its pinnacle in World War II. However, it was the country's involvement in this war that again opened immigration to Asians. The War Bride Act of 1945 and subsequent legislation was the result of the increasing number of US servicemen's desires to wed Japanese women. Little is known about the Japanese women and their groundbreaking unions. My study focuses on the experiences of Japanese war brides from both World War II and Vietnam. Using methods of oral history, I carried out eight in-depth interviews lasting at least two hours each, and transcribed the tapes. By letting them tell their own stories, my research provides an alternative to the common narrative about Japanese women's submissiveness, subservience, and their sexuality.
Konichiwa America; Japanese War Brides in Michigan
Kirkhof Center KC3
As a result of the Immigration Act of 1924, Asian immigration into the US halted. Anti-immigration, and in particular anti-Japanese, sentiment reached its pinnacle in World War II. However, it was the country's involvement in this war that again opened immigration to Asians. The War Bride Act of 1945 and subsequent legislation was the result of the increasing number of US servicemen's desires to wed Japanese women. Little is known about the Japanese women and their groundbreaking unions. My study focuses on the experiences of Japanese war brides from both World War II and Vietnam. Using methods of oral history, I carried out eight in-depth interviews lasting at least two hours each, and transcribed the tapes. By letting them tell their own stories, my research provides an alternative to the common narrative about Japanese women's submissiveness, subservience, and their sexuality.