Out of rebellion: The politics of identity and the Japanese in Hawaii

The purpose of this study is to open up another dimension to the historical narrative of the Japanese in Hawai'i. It is my contention that the way in which the Japanese in Hawai'i understand themselves operates within the framework of "Otherness", which is expressed through stories of struggling for, and winning the right to be as the Other. The social construct of "Otherness" was not completely of their own making, but it emerged in rebellion against the discrimination and exploitation carried out against them by Americans. Their status as the "Other" was imposed upon the Japanese by way of the harsh treatment by the Sugar Planters beginning in the late 1800s, and was confirmed for them in the gross violation of their civil rights by the government during WWII. In other words, in rebellion against their status as the "Other", the Japanese in Hawai'i took on the identity "as the Other" and fought for the right to be different as based on race.;However, the expression of the right to be "as the Other" is not unique to the Japanese in Hawai'i, but I argue that it is a logical result of a pluralist society. Because the American political structure is based on pluralist ideals, the philosophy of "Otherness" can be seen as consistent with the protection of the individual as the highest good. But "Otherness" or "Individualism" is not enough to hold a society together. The violence and chaos that characterizes the American landscape demonstrates a fundamental loss of faith in politics as a realm where people can communicate with each other and consequently, effect the world around them. After all, pluralism has at its core the dismissal of the possibility of genuine and meaningful communication between human beings.;If meaning through politics is to re-emerge in America, the philosophy of "Otherness" as a result of pluralism, must be re-examined and scrutinized from its birth out of rebellion to its consequences in the public sphere. This dissertation will hopefully contribute a small part in that endeavor.