Year of Award
2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
Anthropology
Department or School/College
Anthropology
Committee Chair
Gregory Campbell
Commitee Members
Riley Auge, Nicole Webb
Keywords
internment, immigration, Fort Missoula, Italian, Japanese
Subject Categories
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Abstract
In this paper, I attempt to comprehend the experiences of Italian and Japanese internees who were detained at Fort Missoula’s Alien Detention Center during World War II. Furthermore, I draw upon historical patterns of United States’ immigration policies that greatly affected perspectives and social values between various ethnic groups. Simultaneously, national immigration policies shifted across space and time reflecting ethnocentric ideals and discriminatory campaigns that altered past cultural, political, and economic landscapes. The events that produced the internment of Italian and Japanese men at Fort Missoula varied greatly and are critical to examine through historical records. Such records pertain to the experiences of Japanese Americans who were subject to loyalty hearings at Fort Missoula’s T-1 military courtroom during World War II. The secondary purpose of this paper is to establish a foundation in which to design and create a travelling display for museum purposes. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, located in Missoula, Montana, seeks to develop and construct a travelling display to draw upon the history, conflicts, and importance of those who were detained at Fort Missoula from 1941 to 1944. Museum institutions seek to serve the interests of their surrounding communities. In this light, the historical narratives of a dynamic physical and cultural landscape in Missoula become necessary to understand. Aspects of research, details, and methodology supported in this paper reflect core concepts to efficiently and creatively build a travelling display. Understanding such concepts emphasize positive and negative impacts relevant to terminology as one attempts to conduct historical research and a contemporary analysis of social, political, and economic issues.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Daniel, 2017 Potentially Dangerous Enemy Aliens: Experiences at Fort Missoula and Transformative Immigration Policy in the United States. The University of Montana.
Included in
© Copyright 2017 Daniel Smith