Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“An eclectic work, far-ranging in its sites and examples.” * Pacific Affairs *
“
Biotic Borders presents a uniquely fascinating ecological history and sociocultural analysis of the transmigration of Asian plants and insects during the period of American empire building in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a focus on the ‘mass migration of Japanese plant and insect immigrants.’ Shinozuka skillfully weaves together a historical analysis of anti-Asian racism and its relationship to research in the agricultural, environmental, and health sciences. . . . An important contribution to the history of American empire building, showing the ecological impacts of U.S. expansion in the Pacific region and highlighting Asian, Asian American, and Hawai‘ian perspectives.” * Isis *
“This book will broaden the reader's understanding of botany, the nursery trade, and invasive species regulations while offering rare insights into the different historical figures and groups that have shaped the story. . . . Highly recommended.” * Choice *
"An original, important, and exciting scholarly work. Shinozuka supports her thesis and its claims with abundant examples scoured from an extensive collection of archives. But this is no mere empirical study. Its strength is in Shinozuka's theoretical scaffolding, deftly concealed, that undergirds her reading of historical sources. The result is a compelling narrative that is informed by this theory, and that never loses the reader. This is a highly readable book with a powerful argument, and a story about the Japanese American experience that needs to be told." -- Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, University of Florida
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Plant and Insect Immigrants
1 San José Scale: Contested Origins at the Turn of the Century
2 Early Yellow Peril vs. Western Menace: Chestnut Blight, Citrus Canker, and PQN 37
3 Liable Insects at the US-Mexico Border
4 Contagious Yellow Peril: Diseased Bodies and the Threat of Little Brown Men
5 Pestilence in Paradise: Invasives in Hawai‘i
6 Japanese Beetle Menace: Discovery of the Beetle
7 Infiltrating Perils: A Race against Ownership, Contamination, and Miscegenation
8 Yellow Peril No More? National and Naturalized Enemies during World War II
Conclusion: Toward a Multi(horti)cultural Global Society
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
