American Workers, Colonial Power: Philippine Seattle and the Transpacific West, 1919-1941 by Dorothy B. Fujita-Rony

Abstract

155).He also endorses eminent domain rights forlocal residents to seizemanufacturing plants thathave been closed down. (Sandine uses the word "abandoned" [p.155].)He closes bywriting that theUnited States needs a "mass democratic movement toward a new society... engaging in coordinated, nonviolent acts of insurgency ..."(p. 157). Although Sandine raises a few interesting questions (e.g.,was the treefarmconcept just a public relationsgimmick?),his research isunbal anced and incomplete. Too many anecdotes are too long and have littlerelevance. The personal opinions are intrusive. The tone isbitter,and the language casual and studded with clich?s. The quotes from authors ranging fromKarl Marx and Lincoln Steffens toRalph Nader add little. Overall, Plundertown USA is a disappointment even forregional historybuffsor casual observ ers of the forestproducts industry. American Workers, Colonial Power: Philippine Seattle and theTranspacificWest, 1919-1941 By Dorothy B. Fujita-Rony University of California Press, Berkeley, 2003. Illustrations, photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 320 pages. $21.95 paper. Reviewed by Robert R. Swartout, Jr. Carroll College, Helena, Montana AMERICAN WORKERS, COLONIAL POWER makes an important contribution to our understanding of theAsian experience in the American West. As Dorothy B. Fujita-Rony explains in the introduction, her intention is to place the "Filipina/o" experience in Seattle and elsewhere within the analytical context of American social history, immigration studies, and theNew Western history.This multidisci plinary approach to the subject allows Fujita Rony to examine issues and themes not always considered in traditional ethnic studies. Part i, "Charting the Pacific," examines thehistorical forces atwork within the Philip pines that led to themigration of Filipina/os toAmerica, and especially Seattle, in the 1920s and 1930s.She stresses that,unlike otherAsians, Filipina/oswere not foreignimmigrants, because theycame fromwithin America's own colonial empire. Because many of them had had some exposure toAmerican-style education in the Philippines, theyoften gravitated toAmerican schools and colleges in the colonial m?tropole of Seattle, especially to theUniversity of Wash ington. While attending such schools provided some individuals a certain degree of social and economic mobility, personal experiences also serve as reminders of the degree of racial ani mosity and segregation stillprevalent inmuch ofAmerican society in the pre-World War II period. Part 2, "Working the American West," discusses how Seattle often served as a transit point for Filipina/os employed as farm labor ers and cannery workers from California to Alaska. Because these working-class communi tieswere overwhelmingly male, strong bonds ? often based on either actual or fictive kin ties ? were developed to maintain a sense of cultural identity. Within Seattle itself, the Filipina/o community often representeda broad range of economic and class levels.Those who had attained some level of higher education sometimes achieved greater economic security and higher social status.Much of Seattle's Fili pina/o population ? which was concentrated in the city'sChinatown district ? also developed common interests with otherAsian Americans, 654 OHQ vol. 105, no. 4 such as Chinese and Japanese, as well as with Native Americans. Part 3, "Power of Choice," focuses primar ilyon how Filipina/os attempted to pool their resources to achieve common political goals. These community-building effortsultimately led tomajor Filipina/o involvement in union organizing during the interwar period. The most famous of these developments was the establishment and growth of the Cannery Workers' and Farm Laborers' Union (CWFLU). Fujita-Rony demonstrates how union organiz ing ? often involving such issues as gender, race, and privilege ? could divide and unite Filipina/o effortsto achieve some levelof com munity formation. This isa deeply researched and carefullyar gued analysis of theFilipina/o experience inSe attle and the American West. At times,however, the analytical framework seems to overpower any narrative flow.Although individual stories are occasionally told,particularly at thebegin ning and end of differentchapters, it isnot al ways easy forreaders toget a sense of thehuman dimensions of the story.It isnot until page 118 (out of 210pages of text),forexample, thatread ersgetany census figuresforhowmany Filipinos and Filipinas lived in Washington state (1930 served as the peak year,with 3,374males and 106 females).Moreover, because the analytical framework is emphasized, there is little,ifany, chronological structure to thebook. Perhaps a more significant issue ? especially for readers with a limitedknowledge...