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During World War II, the U.S. military interned the entire local population in Okinawa at sixteen camps and occupied the islands for twenty-seven years (1945-1972). This talk focuses on local memories of civilian internment in Okinawa, in particular the northern part of the main island where starvation and infectious diseases widely spread across camps. I argue that local memories counter the U.S. military’s claim of “rehabilitating” and “liberating” Okinawans from Japanese rule, destabilizing the legitimacy of internment as a site for the provision of care. The local memories offer a glimpse of how the U.S. military has continued its buildup in Okinawa while undermining the natural environment and human health for decades.
Date: Thursday, April 7th, 2022
Time: 4-5pm PT