Surviving Between White Supremacy And Civic Identity:Deciphering The Japanese American "Loyalty Question" Through The Lens Of George Uno’s Family History

The Loyalty Question has been a central theme in Japanese American history,which embodies all the identity crises and political crises of the Japanese American community.As early as the beginning of the twentieth century,mainstream American society had refused to recognize Japanese Americans as "real Americans" or the United States’ "good citizens." Even for the second-generation Japanese Americans who have been born in the United States,who were entitled to their rights of citizenship by birth under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,they still could not be accepted as "real Americans" by mainstream society.This identity crisis reached its peak during the Second World War.While the United States was at war with Germany and Italy as well as Japan,only the "loyalty" of people with Japanese ancestry was questioned,and only the Japanese Americans were suspected,arrested,and incarcerated as a group without any trial and due process under the pretext of "wartime security needs."The Japanese Americans’"Loyalty Question" has been well-researched by generations of scholars,mainly under two themes.One is to uncover the heroic deeds of Japanese Americans during World War Ⅱ so as to show their contributions and sacrifices in wartime efforts.The second is to expose the unfair treatment of Japanese Americans during World War Ⅱ so as to examine the trauma and legacy of the Japanese American community.However,seldom have studies probed into the question of Japanese American "Loyalty" and the implication of the United States’national identity.To bridge the gap,this thesis follows the history of one particular Japanese American family by the name of George Uno to explore three core questions surrounding the discourse of "loyalty" itself:Why does the "loyalty" of Japanese Americans become a problem instead of the "loyalty" of German Americans and Italian Americans?What is the problem with the Japanese Americans Loyalty Question such how the "loyalty question" becomes discourse and how is it said by the mainstream?What does it mean to be a loyal American,and what is the standard?How is "loyalty" understood by Japanese Americans?Utilizing microhistorical methodology,this thesis weaves these three questions into the story of six members of the Uno family in two generations by scrutinizing their correspondence,manuscripts,personal files,tapes or videos for speeches,presentations,and interviews,personal writings,and news clippings.By zooming in on one family,the Japanese American history unfurls itself as the family story sheds light on the formation of the Japanese American community in the United States,their constant identity crises in the twentieth century,and also their reclaiming of identity under the inspiration of the Civil Rights Movement.More importantly,the thesis attempts to reveal that the Loyalty Question associated with Japanese Americans reflects a paradox or discrepancy between white supremacy and civic identity in the United States.The United States has claimed itself as a nation founded on the ideology of democracy,freedom,the rule of law,and procedural legitimacy.Hence,its national identity in theory is based on civic identity,which means,as a political entity,the United States is open to all who are loyal to and conform to its institutional rules and social values.However,the Loyalty Question exposes that the national identity or Americanness of the United States implies a fundamental ethno-racial divide or white supremacy.This paradox between white supremacy and civic identity leads to the gap between Japanese Americans’ self-perception of their Americanness and the United States’perception of Japanese Americans.During the War,this tension resulted in the United States’distrust of the Japanese American community and illegally detained Japanese Americans regardless of justice and the rule of law.In addition,through the personal history of the Japanese American civil rights activist Edison Uno,this thesis provides another possibility of defining"loyal American," which is to examine whether their practices followed such fundamental principles as justice,liberty,and the rule of law.Thus,this research hopes to clarify the essence and contradiction of the discourse of Loyalty and decipher the connotation and standards of American national identity.