Japanese American ethnicity : in search of heritage and homeland across generations /

Anthropologist Tsuda (Arizona State Univ.) provides a necessary contribution to Japanese American studies, a field traditionally marked by research on pre-WW II migration, domestic racism, and the tragedies of wartime incarceration. Rich in ethnographic and oral history details, the book argues that models of cultural assimilation and continuity of ethnic heritage are not mutually exclusive. Tsuda portrays a community marked by "nonlinear" ethnicity that is "replenished" through post-1965 Japanese immigrants and assorted transnational practices or later generation Japanese Americans who actively work to preserve ethnic identity amid assimilationist pressures. The author organizes his book chronologically and thematically, juxtaposing the divergent paths of prewar and postwar second-generation Japanese Americans, the forces of racism and domestic politics in the cultivation and contestation of ethnic identity and racial citizenship, and the nexus of culture and performance on local and diasporic stages. Social scientists of race will appreciate the book's theoretical nuances, and Asian American studies scholars and community-based practitioners will appreciate an innovative study that integrates Japanese Americans with prewar and postwar immigration histories. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. --Jean-Paul deGuzman, UCLA