Jonathan Y. Okamura is a professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of Hawai i. He is the author of several books, most recently From Race to Ethnicity: Interpreting Japanese American Experiences in Hawai i.
This collection of articles critically addresses current issues in Hawai'i's Japanese American community such as the decline of plantation communities, Uchinanchu identity and culture, changing definitions of being Japanese American, the significance of the Cherry Blossom Queen pageant, and Yonsei identity.
Presents a racial history of Japanese Americans from their early struggles against oppressive working and living conditions on sugar plantations to their labour organising and active role in the Democratic Party's rise to power following World War II. The author goes on to analyse how Japanese Americans have maintained their political power into the twenty-first century and discusses the recent advocacy and activism of individual yonsei workin...
Challenging the dominant view of Hawai'i as a "melting pot paradise" - a place of ethnic tolerance and equality - this title examines how ethnic inequality is structured and maintained in island society. It finds that ethnicity, not race or class, signifies difference for Hawai'i's people and therefore structures their social relations.
Challenging the dominant view of Hawai'i as a "melting pot paradise" - a place of ethnic tolerance and equality - this title examines how ethnic inequality is structured and maintained in island society. It finds that ethnicity, not race or class, signifies difference for Hawai'i's people and therefore structures their social relations.
