The “Activities and entertainment at Heart Mountain Relocation Center Photographs” aims to give an overview of the lives of Japanese in internment camps in the US during World War II. The archive consists of photographs showing different aspects of Japanese’ lives and culture including theatrical folklore, dancing, wrestling, games, and working in the fields. Not only do these photographs provide a sense of what life was like in the Japanese internment camps, it also allows us to see the landscape in which these internment camps were built.
However, when I started looking the photographs, I had an uneasy feeling that these photographs are not accurate in illustrating the lives of these Japanese in internment camps. The photographs seem staged and fake especially in “Alice and Mike” and “Girls chopping down Christmas tree”. I learned from my other class that Americans would fake these photographs to sell the morality of the internment camps. These photographs sugarcoat the lives in internment camps and leave out the pain and loss of freedom that the Japanese had to endure. The photographs seem to show the vibrant culture that exists in the internment camps. Even the photographs of barren and dislocated landscapes seem beautiful. However, I wonder if there are any photos that are able to illustrate the pain that these Japanese experienced that are constantly being expressed in interviews. I’m not sure where I can find the sources that I need to address those gaps. I did some research online and found that many photographers were trying to piece together the gaps through fragmented captions and photographs.
The point of the photographs is to give an overview of what life is like in the Japanese internment camps. However, there is a limitation of these photographs where a huge narrative has been left out. Photographs are good at capturing a moment but these moments do not make up all the narratives. When I watch interviews about the experiences in these internment camps, it makes me sick that Americans would try to stage these photographs. I cannot imagine the injustice that Japanese Americans went through during this time. However, I am also aware that my perspective on the Japanese internment camps may be skewed. Maybe we will never be able to find out what really happened in history, but we can try to gather as much evidence as possible to piece together a better, more accurate picture of history.
Hi,
I really appreciate how you connected what you learned in your other class about how some photos may be fabricated or disingenuous. At the end, I also liked that you acknowledged the possibilities of your own “skewed” perspective on Japanese internment camps. There are so many biases, whether from our personal point-of-view, or from authority figures at different institutions. Thanks for sharing!
By the way, the links to the specific photographs don’t work. 🙁
Hi,
I also chose to look at this archive, and similarly it was due to learning about the internment camps in my Asian American class. I completely agree with your comments about how although many people may presume that photographs are an accurate portrayal of reality, however we can’t take what we see on the surface level for granted. There certainly is room for a lot of biases in the photographs, in terms of both what was photographed and what wasn’t photographed, and I agree with you that this set of photographs is certainly not sufficient in providing an accurate portrayal of the experiences that Japanese Americans in the internment camps faced.
Internment camps are an interesting facet of history, often neglected, and often at times seemingly disavowed by those who do not wish to acknowledge American cruelty. Components of the Japanese American identity are integral to understanding internment camps; many of those imprisoned were nisei – Japanese people born in America to Japanese immigrants – and had never been to their homeland. However, this was overlooked by Americans at the time as their generalized paranoia made them skeptical of anyone who didn’t pass for white.
I would recommend looking at works by Isamu Noguchi, a renowned hapa sculptor who voluntarily entered an internment camp in Poston in attempts to bring about an arts program for internees. His sculptures after leaving the camp, namely “My Arizona”, offer a unique perspective, illustrating the cruel and utter bleakness of internment camps.
Hi,
I think you did a good job of critiquing the database materials relating what you have learned from class, which make your point much understandable and relatable. I like your interpretation of what these photographs entails and how you felt about it, which is very thoughtful. Learning about the internment camps should be a big part of learning the history of Asian Americans, in this case Japanese Americans. There was much history about this part being neglected, and it is a shame that much of the info that might fill in the gaps might not be available.
Hi there,
I really enjoyed reading your post; you did a fantastic job of expressing the inaccuracies of the photographs in the archive. I liked how you referred back to previous material you learned in class and researched additional photograhers that tried to capture a more accurate picture of the Japanese-American internment camps. However, I’m curious to know what kind of sources you think are missing from the archive. You mention that we should try to gather more evidence of what happened in the camps, but what kind?
I thought the connection you make between what you learned in your previous class to analyze this archive was useful in giving insight into different interpretations of photography and history. The critique you make of the photos in this archive was very insightful making readers rethink the role that photos play in making a narrative. Not only was the critique very strong but it was also very thorough as you provide strong evidence to your arguments.