Hapa Japan
Hapa Japan by Duncan Ryūken Williams, published by Kaya Press in 2017, is a comprehensive exploration of the Hapa Japanese experience through various cultural lenses. This 400-page anthology examines the representations of mixed-race children in postwar Japan, particularly through the lens of the film Kiku and Isamu, which was one of the first to depict such narratives. The book delves into the complexities of identity faced by individuals with mixed heritage, highlighting their experiences of abandonment and societal ostracism.
Readers will find a diverse range of topics within this anthology, including analyses of Japanese and American films, hybrid graphic novels, and the experiences of Muslim Japanese-Pakistani children in Tokyo. Hapa Japan presents a multifaceted view of cultural representations, addressing the varied experiences of “Blasian” youth at the AmerAsian School near a US military base in Okinawa. This edition serves as a significant contribution to the discourse on identity and representation in contemporary society, making it a valuable resource for those interested in the intersections of fiction, history, and cultural studies.
Official synopsis Publisher
The film Kiku and Isamu (1959) was one of the first cinematic depictions of mixed-race children in postwar Japan, telling the story of two protagonists facing abandonment by two different Black GI fathers and ostracism from Japanese society. Bringing together studies of the representations of the Hapa Japanese experience in culture, Hapa Japan: Identities & Representations (Volume 2) tackles everything from Japanese and American films like Kiku and Isamu to hybrid graphic novels featuring mixed-race characters. From Muslim Japanese-Pakistani children in a Tokyo public school to “Blasian” youth at the AmerAsian School close to a US military base in Okinawa, the Hapa experience is multiple, and its cultural representations accordingly are equally diverse. This anthology is the first publication to attempt to map this wide range of Hapa representations in film, art and society.
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