Stuff contributed by jonathan
A Trip to the Archive – In Memory of William Koda
Jonathan van Harmelen
As part of my research for Discover Nikkei, especially during COVID times, I spend a great deal of time perusing databases and digitized collections available online, such as Densho, the Library of Congress, or the Bancroft Library at University of California at Berkeley. As social distancing restrictions shift, occasionally I …
Les Japonais Américains: Recent Discussions of Japanese American History in France
Jonathan van Harmelen
In my previous article for Discover Nikkei, I uncovered the wartime newspaper coverage of the incarceration of Japanese Americans in the French press. In postwar France, the retelling of Japanese American history offers both a vivid example of foreign interest in United States history and a window into French views …
The French Connection: What Newspapers in Wartime France Said About Japanese Americans
Jonathan van Harmelen
The story of the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans is not only a part of U.S. history, but also a part of global history. As many Issei remained in touch with families in Japan, news of the wartime incarceration travelled across the Pacific, and even became a propaganda tool in …
The Curious Case of Ronald Lane Latimer: A Born-Again Buddhist - Part 2
Jonathan van Harmelen
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The Curious Case of Ronald Lane Latimer: A Born-Again Buddhist - Part 1
Jonathan van Harmelen
Numerous authors have previously uncovered the stories of the outside supporters who vocalized their support for Japanese American communities amidst the wave of anti-Japanese vitriol on the West Coast in early 1942. Although the community of supporters ranged from leftist activists to New Deal idealists, it was a small minority …
Toge Fujihira: Master Photographer and World Traveler - Part 2
Greg Robinson, Jonathan van Harmelen
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Toge Fujihira: Master Photographer and World Traveler - Part 1
Greg Robinson, Jonathan van Harmelen
Toge Fujihira (whose family name was sometimes reported as Fujihara) left the West Coast in the years before World War II and settled in New York, where he distinguished himself as a photographer and documentary filmmaker. During the postwar era, he established himself as a professional cameraman and photographer, capturing …
Clement Boesflug: Catholic Priest and JACL Chaplain
Jonathan van Harmelen
Among the Maryknoll Catholic clergy who worked with Japanese Americans, many individuals, including Fathers Hugh Lavery and Leopold Tibesar, served as spiritual teachers and advocates on behalf of Japanese communities. However, few interacted with their parishioners or participated in community politics as much as Father Clement Boesflug. Known commonly as “Father …
The N-Word and the Japanese American Press
Jonathan van Harmelen, Greg Robinson
In the wide world of American racial epithets, one word seems to stand apart as uniquely hateful and wounding: the term euphemized as the “N-word.” Applied to African Americans, it is a corruption of the term Negro—a term that has gone through its own complex history. Like the Nazi swastika, …