Going, but Where? The Resettlement of Japanese Americans from the Heart Mountain Relocation Center

Abstract

Abstract After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1942, the United States incarcerated (interned) 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two thirds of whom were U.S. citizens. Half of the incarcerated people returned to the West Coast, while the rest were dispersed across the country through the government's resettlement program. In this article, I study the resettlement of Japanese Americans away from the Heart Mountain, Wyoming, incarceration camp through historical big data and network analysis. The overarching goal of this article is to understand post-camp resettlement and its driving forces—or its obstacles—in light of the networks the inmates created at Heart Mountain. In particular, I draw attention to the ways in which resettlement choices could be seen to reflect individual agency: how resettlement decisions and actions mirror a person’s position in the incarceration community. I will uncover a variety and depth of networks that at times are indicative of compliance with authorities, while at times they may enforce separation from the dominant, i.e. White, society. This separation should not automatically be seen as negative or alienating, but rather as resistance to White expectations. Overall, these strategies highlight individual choice and agency.