Presenter Information

Lori Qian, Utah State University

Class

Article

College

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Faculty Mentor

Amanda Deliman

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Under the direction of Professor Sherry Marx, Professor of Cultural Studies and Education, doctoral students explored the USU digital archives and were assigned the task of choosing one of the sets and conducting qualitative research. I examined the experiences and perspectives of a group of Japanese Americans, who were adult survivors of Topaz, Utah's internment camp following WWII. As I studied the history of the event and the recollections of survivors, who had been very young children when they arrived at Topaz, the notion of Identity stood out most. With the lens of identity, I looked at their experiences and how their own identity construction was impacted, and in many cases, continues to be impacted. I also used the lens of identity to examine the views and actions of other Americans and the U.S. government at that time. Using a case study methodology and the lens of identity, I was able to explore the archives to identify key themes, from which anyone interested can learn and benefit.

Location

Logan, UT

Start Date

4-11-2023 2:30 PM

End Date

4-11-2023 3:30 PM

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS
 
Apr 11th, 2:30 PM Apr 11th, 3:30 PM

Key Issues of Identity in the Lives of Adult Survivors of Japanese Internment Camps: Exploring Utah's Own Internment Camp Through the USU Digital Archives'

Logan, UT

Under the direction of Professor Sherry Marx, Professor of Cultural Studies and Education, doctoral students explored the USU digital archives and were assigned the task of choosing one of the sets and conducting qualitative research. I examined the experiences and perspectives of a group of Japanese Americans, who were adult survivors of Topaz, Utah's internment camp following WWII. As I studied the history of the event and the recollections of survivors, who had been very young children when they arrived at Topaz, the notion of Identity stood out most. With the lens of identity, I looked at their experiences and how their own identity construction was impacted, and in many cases, continues to be impacted. I also used the lens of identity to examine the views and actions of other Americans and the U.S. government at that time. Using a case study methodology and the lens of identity, I was able to explore the archives to identify key themes, from which anyone interested can learn and benefit.