An exhibit, "Common Ground: The Heart of Community," tells the story of Japanese Americans in the United States as an example of a vibrant ethnic group that survived hard times and continue to stay together. The exhibit is housed in the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles (California). This paper describes and…

For one Sansei (third-generation Japanese American) university student who had been brought up by her Japanese grandparents, questions of who she was and how much upbringing and personal experiences had molded her were with her constantly. She questioned how much of her grandfather's and her mother's high expectations had to do with her lack of…

A study of the current status of Japanese Americans is divided into three sections. Following a brief introduction, a background section provides an overview of Japanese American history, population size and socioeconomic measures, and selected social characteristics. A second section looks in greater depth at socioeconomic status as reported in…

Japanese Americans experience acculturative change while retaining some elements of cultural identity. Differences in the patterning of personality needs among Japanese American women over time illustrate the balance of these two elements. Japanese American female undergraduates completed the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) in 1971…

This paper proposes that the automatic use of therapeutic approaches devised for Americans and Europeans with clients belonging to different cultures may be counter-productive. Cultural differences between Caucasian-Americans and Japanese-Americans are examined and general elements to be considered in counseling Japanese-Americans are explained.…

This comparative historical analysis examines the official attitude of the Seattle (Washington) Public Schools toward Americanization and ethnic groups, specifically Japanese Americans, between 1916 and 1942. The paper contains seven major sections including: (1) "Objective and Rationale for Studying Seattle"; (2) "Methodology and…

A research study was conducted to explore if and how cultural elements operate to facilitate or inhibit the meeting of needs that constitute successful adaptation to old age among Japanese Americans. Anthropological techniques of participant-observation, informal and structured interviews, and a survey were used as research methods. Formal…

A study was done that compared the parental involvement of three generations of Japanese Americans in their children's education, particularly their involvement in academic work and extracurricular activities and perceived barriers to involvement. First generation Japanese American immigrants are called "Isseis" in Japanese; second…

Photojournalism research includes the resurrection and editing of historic, seldom-seen photographs. A sample of this kind of research is a project at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that involves selecting photographic material from a little-seen National Archives collection of pictures from the files of the War Relocation Authority, an…

Examines the effects of acculturation on quality of life of Japanese Americans and Indo Americans in California. Data are from an ongoing multinational study. Responses from 956 adults show significant differences between the two groups in terms of quality of life, health risks, intergenerational conflicts, and health-care behavior. (SLD)

A study examined contemporary reactions of the Black American press to the relocation and internment of the Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II. Noting that the Black American press has been an activist press since its inception in 1827, it was hypothesized that Black newspapers would editorialize against the internment of Japanese…

A 28 minute, color videotape program, "Okinawan Festival," was tested in four high school classes in Honolulu, Hawaii. The purpose was to measure the program's effectiveness in providing cognitive information about the Okinawan ethnic group in Hawaii to students in Grades 10-12. A pre-test was administered, the videotape played, and the…

This conference paper describes how the phrase "picture bride" is used as a metaphor in ethnic poetry. It is used in poems which concern female creativity in the areas of art and housekeeping. The phrase represents the fusion of concepts and ideas which are usually thought of in juxtaposition with each other. These concepts and ideas are…

This paper explores the different ways in which Chinese American, Japanese American, Korean American, African American, and European American cultures value and use silence during conversation--the term "silence" is used broadly to denote limited oral speech verbal messages or the usage of fewer words to express feelings, ideas, and…

Asian-Americans are educational overachievers, and have been for many decades. There are various explanations for the high educational achievement of Asian-Americans. The most frequently cited theory is that their native culture places a premium on ambition, persistence, and deferred gratification. Other theories attribute this success to…