UC Riverside

For Japanese incarcerated during World War II, returning “home” to Los Angeles was daunting. Often, though, Nisei deliberately kept experiences from this time period to themselves, choosing to start at a moment when they felt they attained success. Reticence to talk openly about the early resettlement period has shaped the way that we have understood (or misunderstood) the long-term consequences of the incarceration and the postwar experience of Japanese Americans. For the majority who struggled to reclaim their property, livelihood, family life, and dignity, this period was characterized by discrimination and economic hardship. Seventy years later, with the majority of the Nisei in their final years, a more nuanced investigation into the reestablishment of the Japanese American community in postwar Los Angeles will fill a notable historical gap.

“Making Home Again: Japanese Americans Resettlement in Post-WWII Los Angeles” interrogates ideas of what race, place, and citizenship meant for Japanese Americans as they reestablished themselves in postwar Los Angeles. Additionally, it troubles the pervasive narrative of “success,” which was a representation that Japanese Americans upheld and the WRA promulgated. Ultimately, this created a monolithic image of the community, which was misleading. Examining this community during this period of suspension underscores the experiences of those who did not easily fit into the category of those who could easily “return to normal living,” a phrase used by former detainees with an optimistic outlook on the future. Instead, resettlement was characterized by a continuation of a long history of state violence. This can be seen through examination of the process of early resettlement in areas outside the West Coast, the social climate that Japanese Americans returned to, challenges to obtain housing, and the navigation of public assistance programs.

Unfolding a more nuanced social history of resettlement and juxtaposing this with the ways in which public memory of Japanese Americans has been crafted is important to see beyond the image of success that has perpetuated the model minority myth. This project intends to navigate the layers of memory, contend with the erasure, and translate the silences that have shaped former incarcerees’ return to Los Angeles.