Specialisation Classes: Literary and Cultural Studies 1 340-AT2-2LCS1

The course covers issues in contemporary literary and cultural studies of English speaking countries.

The twentieth- century reality in the Unites States was harsh for Japanese immigrants who attempted to settle down and follow their dreams in the new land. Prejudice and discrimination against the newcomers, rife among Americans, were exacerbated by the ramifications of World War II events, including the Pearl Harbor attack, which irrevocably changed the pattern of immigrant lives. In the aftermath, internment camps that ensued became an inexorable part of their already miserable existence. We will delve not only into the painful past of the Japanese immigrants and their immediate descendants but also into a wide array of Japanese customs that the immigrants brought with them as their rich cultural legacy. We will analyse acculturation and acculturation strategies adopted by the two generations. Japanese-American authors, in their fictional and non-fictional literary accounts, reveal the search for their ethnic identity and resulting tensions between their American and Japanese selves. We will also examine cultural attitudes (preferences) of Japanese immigrants and their offspring, and their cultural practices (reflected in acculturation strategies).

The twentieth- century reality in the Unites States was harsh for Japanese immigrants who attempted to settle down and follow their dreams in the new land. Prejudice and discrimination against the newcomers, rife among Americans, were exacerbated by the ramifications of World War II events, including the Pearl Harbor attack, which irrevocably changed the pattern of immigrant lives. In the aftermath, internment camps that ensued became an inexorable part of their already miserable existence. We will delve not only into the painful past of the Japanese immigrants and their immediate descendants but also into a wide array of Japanese customs that the immigrants brought with them as their rich cultural legacy. We will analyse acculturation and acculturation strategies adopted by the two generations. Japanese-American authors, in their fictional and non-fictional literary accounts, reveal the search for their ethnic identity and resulting tensions between their American and Japanese selves. We will also examine cultural attitudes (preferences) of Japanese immigrants and their offspring, and their cultural practices (reflected in acculturation strategies).

Jarmołowicz-Dziekońska, M. Japanese-American Literature through the Prism of Acculturation. New York: Routledge, 2023.
Kim, Elaine H. Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1982.
Dubel, Janice L. “Remembering a Japanese- American Concentration Camp at Manzanar National Historic Site.” In Myth, Memory, and the Making of the American Landscape, edited by P. A. Shackel, 85– 102. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2001.
Sun, Wei. Minority Invisibility: An Asian American Experience. New York: University Press of America, 2007.
Szmańko, Klara. Invisibility in African American and Asian American literature: A Comparative Study. Jefferson: McFarland & Company Inc., 2008.
Szmańko, Klara. Visions of Whiteness in Selected Works of Asian American Literature. Jefferson: McFarland & Company Inc., 2015.
Nguyen, Huong H. “Acculturation in the United States.” In The Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology, edited by D. L. Sam and J. W. Berry, 311– 330. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Berry, John W., Ype H. Poortinga, Marshall H. Segall and Pierre R. Dasen. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Research and Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Alba, Richard and Victor Nee. Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. Cambridge, and London: Harvard University Press, 2015.
Azuma, Eiichiro. Between Two Empires: Race, History, and Transnationalism in Japanese America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Tsuda, Takeyuki. Japanese American Ethnicity: In Search of Heritage and Homeland across Generations. New York: New York University Press, 2016.
Fugita, Stephen S. and David J. Obrien. Japanese American Ethnicity: The Persistence of Community. Washington: University of Washington Press, 1994.
Okada, John. No- No Boy. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1993 [1957].
Okimoto, Daniel Iwao. American in Disguise. New York and Tokyo: A Weatherhill Book. Walker/ Weatherhill, 1971.
Sone, Monica. Nisei Daughter. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1998 [1953].
Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese- American Family. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1982.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Picture Bride. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1997 [1987].
Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne. Beyond Manzanar: Views of Asian- American Womanhood. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1985.
Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne and James D. Houston. Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience during and after the World War II Internment. New York: Ember, 2012 [1973].
Hosokawa, Bill. Out of the Frying Pan: Reflections of a Japanese American. Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 1998.

Jarmołowicz-Dziekońska, M. Japanese-American Literature through the Prism of Acculturation. New York: Routledge, 2023.
Kim, Elaine H. Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1982.
Dubel, Janice L. “Remembering a Japanese- American Concentration Camp at Manzanar National Historic Site.” In Myth, Memory, and the Making of the American Landscape, edited by P. A. Shackel, 85– 102. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2001.
Sun, Wei. Minority Invisibility: An Asian American Experience. New York: University Press of America, 2007.
Szmańko, Klara. Invisibility in African American and Asian American literature: A Comparative Study. Jefferson: McFarland & Company Inc., 2008.
Szmańko, Klara. Visions of Whiteness in Selected Works of Asian American Literature. Jefferson: McFarland & Company Inc., 2015.
Nguyen, Huong H. “Acculturation in the United States.” In The Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology, edited by D. L. Sam and J. W. Berry, 311– 330. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Berry, John W., Ype H. Poortinga, Marshall H. Segall and Pierre R. Dasen. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Research and Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Alba, Richard and Victor Nee. Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. Cambridge, and London: Harvard University Press, 2015.
Azuma, Eiichiro. Between Two Empires: Race, History, and Transnationalism in Japanese America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Tsuda, Takeyuki. Japanese American Ethnicity: In Search of Heritage and Homeland across Generations. New York: New York University Press, 2016.
Fugita, Stephen S. and David J. Obrien. Japanese American Ethnicity: The Persistence of Community. Washington: University of Washington Press, 1994.
Okada, John. No- No Boy. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1993 [1957].
Okimoto, Daniel Iwao. American in Disguise. New York and Tokyo: A Weatherhill Book. Walker/ Weatherhill, 1971.
Sone, Monica. Nisei Daughter. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1998 [1953].
Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese- American Family. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1982.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Picture Bride. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1997 [1987].
Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne. Beyond Manzanar: Views of Asian- American Womanhood. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1985.
Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne and James D. Houston. Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience during and after the World War II Internment. New York: Ember, 2012 [1973].
Hosokawa, Bill. Out of the Frying Pan: Reflections of a Japanese American. Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 1998.

The evaluation is based on a presentation / an essay and active participation in class.

2 absences allowed