Jerry García. Looking Like the Enemy

This book illuminates the relatively unknown but fascinating history of Japanese emigration to Mexico. Far smaller than the migrations to the United States or Brazil (around 6,000 in 1941, vs. 110,000 and 190,000, respectively) and seen as less desirable, both for Japan, which preferred more lucrative destinations in the Americas, and for Mexico, which favored European immigrants over people of color, its course was nevertheless so dramatic, convoluted, and multifaceted that we are fortunate that Jerry García has written this chronicle. The first half of the book lays out the history of Japanese immigration, its origins, pace, and modes of settlement. Industrial modernization under the Porfiriato, the Mexican Revolution, post-revolutionary nation-building, and post-depression populist nationalism, combined with the rise of Japanese imperialism and intensifying rivalry between Japan and the West, shaped Mexico's immigration policies and affected Japanese Mexicans. The second half describes repercussions of the Pacific War and of Mexico's joining the Allied Forces: anti-Japanese propaganda, racist persecution, and forced relocation of Japanese—including Mexican citizens—to the interior. The last two chapters, in particular, are staggering. The displaced Japanese demonstrated surprising perseverance and resilience for individual and ethnic survival and dignity, taking collective action (e.g., mutual aid associations) or tactfully negotiating with powerful caciques (local strongmen) to assure their safety.

Economic history · Hegemony · Immigration · Modernization theory · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · State (computer science) · Asian American and Pacific Histories · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies