Ethnic Studies Review
Orginal Publication Date
1998
Journal Title
Ethnic Studies Review
Volume
21
Issue
esr/vol21/iss1
First Page
125
Last Page
127
Abstract
Japanese language schools in California are chronicled from the early twentieth century until the eve of World War II based mainly on the UCLA Japanese American Research Project Collections, Japanese language newspapers, and literatures by Issei (first generation Japanese immigrant) educators. Chapters two through five which follow a brief overview of the ethnic language schools of various immigrant groups illustrate Japanese immigrants' effort in transmitting their linguistic and cultural heritage to Nisei (American-born) children by supplementing their public school education with a Japanese language school curriculum in a hostile socio-political climate. The thematic coherence of the book is disrupted unfortunately by a sudden change of topic in Chapter Six which deals with Japanese language school situations in Hawaii and Brazil. A subsequent and final chapter entitled "Language and Heritage Maintenance Efforts During and After World War II" is misnamed. Barely two pages are given to the wartime Japanese language and cultural studies, and the scene moves to post-war California in the remainder of the chapter, rendering this chapter a disparate appendage to the rest of the book.
Rights
Copyright ©ESR, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 1998
Comments
The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Conference Perspectives and Retrospectives