Establishing Recognition of Past Injustices: Uses of Archival Records in Documenting the Experience of Japanese Canadians During the Second World War
2002; Association of Canadian Archivists; Volume: 53; Issue: 53 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1923-6409
Autores Tópico(s)Digital and Traditional Archives Management
ResumoThe National Archives of Canada holds an extensive group of archival government records that document the uprooting of the Japanese Canadian community during the Second World War and its aftermath. This article explores the use of the archival records that caused the community to question the fairness of their treatment, to seek an apology from the government, and request compensation for their losses. Usage of the archival record in subsequent publications also helped to build cultural memory. The existence of such archival documents is essential for citizens to hold democratic government accountable for its policies, decisions, and actions. The example of the Japanese Canadians’ efforts to seek recognition of, and restitution for, past injustices illuminates the important role played by a national archives in protecting the rights of citizens through its appraisal and transfer decisions. A recent National Archives of Canada policy statement on Preserving the Archival and Historical Memory of Government outlines the importance of records created by the Government of Canada. Predictably, the statement says that the records are “critical to the efficient administration of government as it conducts business and the affairs of state on behalf of Canadians.” It also 1 “Preserving the Archival and Historical Memory of Government,” statement approved by the National Archivist of Canada, 17 October 2001, p. 2. (Copy available on the National Archives of Canada Web site: .) Experience of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War 65 states that records are “critical to the preservation of knowledge about our national history and collective memory for the benefit and use of future generations.” It further states that records are “critical to the capacity of citizens to hold government accountable for its decisions and actions in our democratic society.” The National Archives holds a unique group of archival government records that document the experiences of the Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. These records, created by government in the course of exercising legitimate powers, provided evidence of actions and information about their impact on the Japanese Canadian community. An exploration of a number of published works demonstrates how this group of citizens was able to use those records to obtain an acknowledgement of wrongdoing and financial compensation from the Government of Canada which had uprooted a whole community sixty years ago. This paper does not provide an extensive analysis of the records that were transferred to the National Archives in the 1970s and 1980s. Instead, the focus is on the use of these records that spurred the community to question 2 In researching this article, I undertook a review of the available literature by searching the National Library of Canada’s catalogue. Using the Amicus data base available on their Web site, 197 entries were found under “Japanese Canadians” as of February 15, 2002; a significant number – forty-six entries to be exact – pertained to the uprooting of the Japanese Canadian community during the Second World War. These publications consist of scholarly works, popular accounts, non-fiction, and fiction. Some authors used archival records in the National Archives (as well as other repositories) to reconstruct events and analyze their significance. Examples of scholarly works are: Patricia Roy et al., Mutual Hostages: Canadians and Japanese During the Second World War (Toronto, 1990); and Ann Gomer Sunahara, The Politics of Racism: The Uprooting of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War (Toronto, 1981). Examples of non-academic analysis include: National Association of Japanese Canadians, Economic Losses of Japanese Canadians after 1941, A Study Conducted by Price Waterhouse, Vancouver, B.C. (Winnipeg, 1985); and Yon Shimizu, The Exiles: An Archival History of the World War II Japanese Road Camps in B.C. and Ontario (Wallaceburg, 1993). Joy Kogawa’s novel Obasan (Toronto, 1981) drew upon the personal papers of Muriel Kitagawa housed in the National Archives of Canada. Popular accounts based on personal experiences with the uprooting during the Second World War or with the redress movement include such publications as: Ken Adachi, The Enemy That Never Was: A History of the Japanese Canadians (Toronto, 1976); Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Redress, The Toronto Story (Toronto, 2000); Roy Ito, We Went to War: The Story of the Japanese Canadians Who Served During the First and Second World Wars (Etobicoke, Ontario, 1984); Addie Kobayashi, Exiles in Our Own Country: Japanese Canadians in Niagara (Richmond Hill, Ontario, 1998); Manitoba Japanese Canadian Citizens Association, The History of Japanese Canadians in Manitoba (Manitoba, 1996); Roy Miki and Cassandra Kobayashi, Justice in Our Time: The Japanese Canadian Redress Settlement (Vancouver, 1991); Keibo Oiwa, ed., Stone Voices: Wartime Writings of Japanese Canadian Issei (Montreal, 1994); Maryka Omatsu, Bittersweet Passage: Redress and the Japanese Canadian Experience (Toronto, 1992); and David Suzuki, Metamorphosis: Stages in a Life (Toronto, 1987). 3 For a closer examination of the Office of the Custodian of Enemy Property and the records created by its Vancouver office, see the earlier article written by Judith Roberts-Moore, “The Office of the Custodian of Enemy Property: An Overview of the Office and its Records, 1920–1951,” Archivaria 22 (Summer 1986), pp. 95–106.
Referência(s)