Nature Behind Barbed Wire: An Environmental History of the Japanese American Incarceration

329 Pages·2019·3.667 MB·English

by  Connie Y. Chiang

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Nature Behind Barbed Wire
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Nature Behind
Barbed Wire
An Environmental History of
the Japanese American Incarceration
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CONNIE Y. CHIANG
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Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
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© Oxford University Press 2018
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Chiang, Connie Y., author.
Title: Nature behind barbed wire : an environmental history of the
Japanese American incarceration / Connie Y. Chiang.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2018] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018003904 (print) | LCCN 2018028938 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190842079 (Updf) | ISBN 9780190842086 (Epub) |
ISBN 9780190842062 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Japanese Americans—Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945. |
Concentration camps—United States—History—20th century. |
World War, 1939–1945—Environmental aspects. | Human ecology—United States—History.
Classification: LCC D769.8.A6 (ebook) | LCC D769.8.A6 C35 2018 (print) |
DDC 940.53/1773089956—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018003904
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Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
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For Anna Klingle and Jollin Chiang
and
in memory of Augustine Young
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Contents
Acknowledgments  ix
Note on Terminology  xiii
Introduction: The Nature of Confinement  1
1. Removal and Displacement  12
2. Choosing Sites, Building Camps  40
3. Maintaining the Camps  68
4. Desert Agriculture  93
5. Environmental Patriotism  122
6. Outdoor Recreation  147
7. Dispersal, Resettlement, Return  175
Epilogue: Emanating from the Soil  202
Notes  219
Selected Bibliography  283
Index  297
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Acknowledgments
It took me a decade to complete this book. Many debts have accrued over
the course of ten years, and I’m delighted (and relieved) to finally have the op-
portunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to a long list of friends, colleagues,
and institutions.
This book would not have been possible without Bowdoin College, the
National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Society for
Environmental History. They all provided critical financial support for ar-
chival research. Bowdoin also funded two sabbatical leaves that gave me time
to conduct research and write. I am deeply grateful to work at an institution
that provides such generous support for faculty scholarship.
I am indebted to the staffs of several libraries and archives, all of whom
provided invaluable assistance. Thanks to the Denver Public Library, the
Huntington Library, the Idaho State Historical Society, the National Archives
and Records Administration in Washington, DC, Special Collections at the
Charles E. Young Research Library at the University of California, Los Angeles,
Special Collections at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of
Utah, and Special Collections at the University of Washington. Bowdoin’s
librarians are also outstanding. Special thanks to Guy Saldanha for securing
dozens of microfilm reels and Barbara Levergood for teaching me to navigate
government documents. During the course of my research, many institutions
also began to digitize records related to the Japanese American incarceration.
My ability to remotely access thousands of documents and images facilitated
the completion of this book. I would especially like to thank the Densho
Project for recording the memories of hundreds of Japanese Americans and
making a treasure trove of sources available to the public.
I had the pleasure of presenting my research at several colleges and
universities, where engaged audiences asked smart questions and helped me
refine my claims. Many thanks to my gracious hosts at these institutions: Jen