Japanese incarceration memorial as trauma portfolio play
Publication Date
1-1-2025
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Human Organization
Volume
84
Issue
1
DOI
10.1080/00187259.2024.2429992
First Page
108
Last Page
123
Abstract
In collaboration with the Japanese American Museum of San José, California, we examined their exhibit of WWII-era incarceration of Japanese Americans to understand how the presentation of different positionalities (e.g., Japanese/American, loyal/disloyal) engage with and contest the terms of incarceration and internal politics within the Japanese American community. In our analysis, we focus on the reproduction and contestation of particular narratives of power and identity and treat the memorial exhibit as a variety of community-based “trauma portfolio” that unsettles state bureaucratic constructions of suffering and (in)justice. We conclude by identifying transformative possibilities for engaging with the different positionalities of incarcerated people.
Funding Sponsor
San José State University
Keywords
human rights, identity, Memorial, museum studies
Department
Anthropology
Recommended Citation
A. J. Faas, Alyssa Singh, and Cibella Gamma. "Japanese incarceration memorial as trauma portfolio play" Human Organization (2025): 108-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/00187259.2024.2429992
