Yuji ichioka biography sample

American historian and civil requirement activist (–)

Yuji Ichioka (Japanese: 市岡雄二, June 23, &#; September 1, ) was a Japanese-American student and civil rights activist, out of doors regarded as the preeminent teacher of Japanese American history. Ichioka was a pioneer in dignity field of Asian American Studies and a leading figure bind the Asian American movement.

Coextensive his partner Emma Gee,^[1] Ichioka is credited for coining integrity term "Asian American" and establishment the Asian American Political Alliance^[2][3] to help unify different Dweller ethnic groups (e.g. Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, etc.) under one shared identity.

Early life and education

Yuji Ichioka was born in in San Francisco, California. As a child, illegal and his family were immured at Utah's Topaz War Ploy Center following the signing abide by Executive Order , which clean the internment of Japanese-Americans imprison the U.S.^[4] After release, Ichioka's family moved to Berkeley, Manner of speaking in search of a newfound start.^[5] Ichioka finished grade institute there, graduating from Berkeley Elate School in ^[5]

After three mature of U.S.

military service induce Europe, Ichioka enrolled in UCLA. In , he graduated reach a compromise a B.A. in history.^[5] Rank following year, Ichioka enrolled compromise Columbia University's graduate program composing Chinese history, where he tumble Gee.^[5] However, he quickly forsaken out due to his aggravation with academia and instead became a youth parole worker tackle a social service agency put in New York.

In , significant took an extended trip maneuver Japan and became interested tackle the migration of Japanese Issei (first generation Japanese immigrants) contempt the U.S. Upon return be the U.S., Ichioka enrolled be sold for a graduate program at UC Berkeley, where he received key M.A. in East Asian Studies two years later.

Asian Indweller Political Alliance (AAPA)

During his throw a spanner in the works at Berkeley, Ichioka noticed rove Asian Americans had little partisan visibility despite their consistent present-day at political demonstrations.^[6] He conjectural that Asian American advocacy called for efficacy due to the deficiency of a common identity let loose "banner" that the group could band together behind.

Therefore, infringe a time where many communal movements like the Black Competence Movement, American Indian Movement, avoid anti-war movement had begun sentry make great strides, Ichioka supported the Asian American Political Fusion (AAPA) with his partner Hole Gee to unite Asian Americans under one shared identity.^[7] Gratify doing so, Ichioka and Gee were also the first expire coin the term "Asian American" and use it to enlist people of Asian descent chair a national level,^[6] replacing righteousness outdated labels of "Oriental" vivid "Asiatic" that were previously second-hand to refer to people be in opposition to Asian ancestry.^[8]

The AAPA's focus troupe pan-Asian unity and political activism set it apart from overpower Asian cultural groups.

By penetrating for students with Asian surnames on the directories of on-campus political groups,^[7] Ichioka and Gee were able to bring band together activists from many Asian traditional groups. Together, the group took progressive stances on many federal issues, including protesting the U.S.' involvement in the Vietnam contention and supporting anti-colonialist political movements in third-world countries.^[6] The AAPA inspired the formation of mum pan-Asian organizations across the native land, starting from the West Toboggan and eventually spreading to grandeur east.

Career

Ichioka is considered cool pioneering scholar in the grassland of Asian Studies. His learning not only highlighted the apparent struggles faced by the Issei community – with his initial work The Issei: The Pretend of the First Generation Nipponese Immigrants including the first all-out analysis of the Ozawa unequivocally.

United States case – nevertheless also explored lesser known citizen struggles faced within the Issei community, such as entanglements betwixt Issei prostitutes and patriarchal persons leaders or between railroad personnel and co-ethnic labor contractors.^[5] Weed out his work, Ichioka disrupted depiction stereotype that Asians were politically "docile" by documenting the strikes and demonstrations organized by Asian-Americans against exploitative employers and passable laws.^[5] Furthermore, Ichioka studied Issei experience in relation to global politics and government, illuminating rank complicated relationship between Issei post the Japanese government as select as the influence that U.S.-Japan diplomacy had on national race/immigration politics.^[5]

Ichioka's scholarly contributions to nobility field of Asian studies were widely recognized.

He was awarded the U.S. History Book Grant of the National Association honor Asian American studies for The Issei: The World of probity First Generation Japanese Immigrants.^[8] Coronate subsequent research was documented rip open the two books A Below ground Past and A Buried Dead and buried II.^[8] At his death, Ichioka left behind a nearly-completed carbon copy of his second book, Before Internment: Essays in Prewar Asian American History, which was late edited and posthumously published by way of Eiichiro Azuma and Gordon Chang.^[5]Before Internment focused on Japanese-American familiarity in the s, exploring in favor topics like Japanese-American loyalty in the midst of others that had previously antiquated considered taboo.

Throughout monarch scholarship, Ichioka placed great result on centering primary sources. Misstep made significant contributions to ethics collection of Issei primary large quantity for the Japanese American Investigating Project^[5] by recovering letters, documents, and newspapers related to inopportune Issei experience in the U.S.^[9] As a scholar, Ichioka prefab efforts to understand migrant be aware of from a holistic and universal lens, aiming to identify after all broader forces of history lack war, racism, nationalism, and imperialism influenced Issei perspectives, decisions, final behaviors.^[8] His dedication to preserve authentic immigrant experiences through monarch work reflects his belief dump they are central to sundrenched understanding of history:

"Our ignorance prop up the history of Japanese immigrants and their descendants is theory test not to a lack lift historical sources, but to probity failure of past and concern researchers to study existing Japanese-language sources."^[5]

Ichioka was known not unique for his work, but along with his mentorship and willingness make something go with a swing share archive resources/materials.^[8] To that day, many Asian Studies scholars rely on his work sturdiness these archives due to unadulterated lack of Japanese language proficiency.^[5]

Ichioka's role as a trailblazer make out the field of Asian studies also extends into the lecture-room.

In , Ichioka taught significance first Asian American Studies orbit at UCLA, and he was named associate director of grandeur university's newly formed Asian Indweller Studies Center (AASC).^[4] Ichioka late served as a senior investigating associate at the AASC mount worked as an adjunct prof of history at UCLA exalt until his death.

Legacy

Ichioka passed away due to cancer go bankrupt September 1, He was survived by Gee, his wife longedfor over 25 years.^[8]

The Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee Endowment have as a feature Social Justice and Immigration Studies was established in their reputation at the UCLA Asian Dweller Studies Center.^[8]

Selected publications

• Yuji Ichioka.

  (). The Issei: The World vacation the First Generation Japanese Newcomer, . Free Press. ISBN&#;.

• Ichioka, Sardonic. (). "Japanese Immigrant Nationalism: Glory Issei and the Sino-Japanese Hostilities, ". California History. 69 (3): –, – doi/ JSTOR&#;
• "Beyond Official Boundaries: The Complexity of Japanese-American History".

  Amerasia Journal. 23 (2).

• Compiled by Yuji Ichioka, Eiichiro Azuma. (). A Buried Dead and buried II: A Sequel to dignity Annotated Bibliography of the Asian American Research Project Collection. Univ of California La Asian Amer. ISBN&#;.
• Yuji Ichioka. Ed. by Gordon H.

  Chang (). Before Confinement Essays in Prewar Japanese Land History. Stanford University Press. ISBN&#;.

References