Category Archives: Japanese-American Internment Camps

“Camp Life”: Japanese American Internment & Gender Roles

Posted on by
Reply

“Camp Life” highlights the effect that the Japanese American Internment had on gender roles within the Japanese American community.  Ironically, imprisonment and the implementation of gendered spaces served as the primary factors behind the empowerment of Japanese American women at that time.  For example, something as simple as gendered dining facilities had major repercussions in the lives of Japanese American women – in this case, it eliminated the patriarchal “head of household” which in turn decreased the amount of control that men had over their wives and daughters.  The amount of domestic work that women were responsible for completing not only decreased, but also became a source of income for them as women were paid WRA wages.  Collaborative work also became a part of everyday life which allowed for women to meet new people and form friendships outside of the home – a luxury that wasn’t afforded to them pre-imprisonment.  More importantly, the economic independence that Japanese Americans experienced as a result of incarceration served as a way for non conformists like homosexual, bisexual, and queer individuals to explore their sexuality.

The Internment of Japanese Prisoners

Posted on by
Reply

Howard: Through the imprisonment of West Coast Japanese immigrants, the government challenged traditional gender roles & patriarchy. There was an increase in the economic & social independence of women; however politically they remained limited. Some of the issues in this era derive from the question of identity in American culture. The difficulties with race, nationality, and gender provided a combative path for the Japanese American prisoners. Are the women in these camps defined more by their race or gender? By proving their American identities, conformity called for the embrace of white heterosexual culture. However, these camps promoted independence among women and families. Promoting conformity and independence created two opposing sides that established an unique dynamic within the internment camps.

Kozol: The photography of the era exposed the citizenship, humanity, and conformity of Japanese immigrants, which eased racist fears.

Howard: Although the internment of Japanese prisoners was a problematic, racist policy, it prompted a challenge to patriarchy.

Creef:  Orientalism shaped the perception of Japanese Americans during internment years, the photography displays the double identities these prisoners carry.