Description
Book SynopsisA product of twenty-five years of archival and primary research, this volume narrates the efforts of three generations of Japanese Americans to reach home' through musicking. Emphasizing the notion of national identity and belonging, the book provokes a discussion about the challenges of nation-building in a democratic society.
Trade ReviewBringing together decades of interviews and original archival work,
Sounding Our Way Home is the first book to provide a true overview of the full range of the Japanese American musical experience." - W. Anthony Sheppard, author of
Extreme Exoticism: Japan in the American Musical Imagination "In
Sounding Our Way Home, Susan Miyo Asai weaves together historical and musical analysis, spotlighting the achievements of individual musicians within a broader narrative of Japanese American musicking across generations. This book is an admirable and important contribution to Asian American studies and music history." - Grace Wang, associate professor of American studies at the University of California, Davis
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Chapter 1: The Nexus of Music, Identity, and Politics
- Chapter 2: Dual Identities: Japanese Immigrant Community, Identity, and Music
- Chapter 3: Caught on the Cultural Cusp: Nisei Politics of Identity and Music
- Chapter 4: "Buddhahead Blues": Musical Communities in the US Concentration Camps of World War II
- Chapter 5: Sansei: The Political Advocacy of Music and a Turn toward the East
- Epilogue: The Promise of Interracial Music Coalitions
- Glossary
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
