The process of internment led to the debilitation of not only Japanese American individual identity but also the breakdown of one’s connection to family and social life. As a wartime response, the US government intended to use internment to contain an ethnic minority population that they considered a threat to national security. This assumption, based on xenophobic and racist attitudes, led to the creation of policy that wove this suspicion into every interned Japanese American’s psyche.

On an individual level, the process of internment eliminated a sense of personal identity by issuing every interned Japanese American a number for the evacuation process. When Okubo was issued the number 13660, she noted that her “family name was reduced to No. 13660” (19), pointing to the sense of dehumanization she experienced during the process. Furthermore, her number was placed on tags for her belongings, which were then flung from trucks upon arrival to Tanforan Assembly Center. The number did not matter either in the end as all individual possessions were treated with equal disregard.

The loss of personal identity also impacted other communal structures, such as family units. When the camp administration started issuing

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now