Title
Wrestling with Tradition: Japanese Activities at Amache, a World War II Incarceration Facility
Date of Award
1-1-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Bonnie Clark, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Lawrence Conyers
Third Advisor
Jing Li
Keywords
Inter-generational, Internment, Japanese American, Japanese practices, Ofuro, Traditional practices
Abstract
I employ archaeological analyses, archival research, and oral histories to investigate traditional Japanese practices that were performed at Amache, a World War II Japanese American incarceration facility. I argue that these inter-generational practices helped to bridge a cultural gap that existed between several generations of Japanese Americans. For many incarcerated Japanese Americans, their first exposure to many traditional activities occurred during incarceration. The resulting social environment incorporated aspects of Japanese, Japanese American, and mainstream American influences, all of which were adapted to conditions during incarceration. Similarly, archaeological analyses allow for the investigation of traditional practice features. These provide evidence regarding the significance of the adapted landscape at Amache. Evidence of these practices suggests Amache internees had both a strong desire to maintain and celebrate these aspects of their Japanese heritage but they also incorporated non-traditional elements that reflected the unique living conditions during incarceration. Incarceration, I argue, created an environment in which a unique internee consciousness was formed in which the use of traditional practices was a focal point. The physical remains of traditional practices allow archaeologists to determine aspects of this newly formed consciousness that are not readily apparent in historical documentation.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Recommended Citation
Starke, Zachary Allen, "Wrestling with Tradition: Japanese Activities at Amache, a World War II Incarceration Facility" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1051.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1051
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
Rights holder
Zachary Allen Starke
File size
235 p.
Copyright date
2015
File format
application/pdf
Language
en
Discipline
Archaeology, Asian American Studies, History