The landmark book published by the Japan Foundation and Japanese Canadian Community Publications by Japanese-Canadian scholar, writer, and educator Masako Fukawa, “Stories of Nikkei Canadians: Resilience in Struggle,” provides a poignant documentary and oral historical study of the long history and harsh experiences of the Japanese Canadian community. (Nikkei) over a century in Canada.In this work, Fuqua reviews the historical path of pre-Islamic ignorance from the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the late nineteenth century and the racial discrimination and restrictive legislation they faced, all the way to the most cruel and dramatic stage during World War II. The book details the harsh forced displacement to which more than 22,000 Canadians of Japanese descent were subjected in 1942 from the coast of British Columbia, the confiscation of their lands, property, farms, and fishing boats, then the confiscation of their freedom and detention.In remote detention camps in the Canadian interior under the pretext of national security.
The book is not limited to monitoring historical injustices, but rather highlights the concept of “resilience” and the human dignity demonstrated by the community. The author follows the courageous civil struggle movement led by new generations after the war demanding official recognition and a dignified response, which culminated in the historic recognition and apology of the Canadian government in 1988 and the provision of compensation and a historic settlement. Based on interviewsOral stories, rare photographs, and personal documents give the author a voice for victims and survivors to confirm that historical memory and preservation of experiences are the basic bulwark for protecting human rights and avoiding repeating past mistakes.
