Overview
Demanding liberation, advocating for the oppressed, and organizing for justice, siblings Mitsuye Yamada (1923-) and Michael Yasutake (1920-2001) rebelled against respectability and assimilation, charting their own paths for what it means to be Nisei. Raised in Seattle and then forcibly removed and detained in the Minidoka concentration camp, their early lives mirrored those of many second-generation Japanese Americans. Yasutake's pacifism endured even with immense pressure to enlist during his confinement and in the years following World War II. His faith-based activism guided him in condemning imperialism and inequality, and he worked tirelessly to free political prisoners and defend human rights. Yamada became an internationally acclaimed feminist poet, professor, and activist who continues to speak out against racism and patriarchy. Weaving together the stories of two distinct but intrinsically connected political lives, Nisei Radicals examines the siblings' half century of dedication to global movements, including multicultural feminism, Puerto Rican independence, Japanese American redress, Indigenous sovereignty, and more. From displacement and invisibility to insurgent mobilization, Yamada and Yasutake rejected stereotypes and fought to dismantle systems of injustice.
Full Product Details
Author: Diane C. Fujino (Chair, Asian American Studies, University of California Santa Barbara)
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Weight: 0.499kg
ISBN: 9780295748252
ISBN 10: 0295748257
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 31 December 2020
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Reviews
Nisei Radicals is an important addition to Asian American history texts and creates likable heroes out of Yasutake and Yamada. * International Examiner *
""Nisei Radicals is an important addition to Asian American history texts and creates likable heroes out of Yasutake and Yamada."" * International Examiner * ""All in all, Nisei Radicals is not only a book well worth reading as a joint biography of two remarkable Nikkei, but I hope will act as a springboard for larger discussions of social justice."" * Nichi Bei Weekly * ""Nisei Radicals offers a model for historical biography…The lives [Fujino] portrays offer a model of how to make activism sustainable, most notably, by staying in community and partnering with like-minded others to fight for justice."" * Pacific Historical Review *
Author Information
Diane C. Fujino is professor of Asian American studies at University of California, Santa Barbara. Her books include Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama and Samurai among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance and a Paradoxical Life.
