A War Within World War II: Racialized Masculinity and Citizenship of Japanese Americans and Korean Colonial Subjects

Even though the Pacific Ocean stands as an aqueous wall between Japan and the United States, World War II exposed the shared relationship between these two nations in their utilization of racial minority populations for the war effort. I interrogate the intersections of gender identity, race, and citizenship of Japanese Americans and Korean colonial subjects in the Japanese Empire during World War II. Specifically, I compare Japanese Americans—soldiers of the segregated Japanese American100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, draft resisters from Heart Mountain, and prisoners of war—with Korean colonial subjects—soldiers who fought for the Imperial Japanese Army— and hope to shed new insights on their experiences through examining the intersections of race, masculinity and citizenship. Advisors: Dr. Peter Rachleff and Dr. Christopher Scott Department: Histor