Re-imaging history : examining filmic representations of Japanese Americans in U.S. concentration camps during World War II / by Christine A. Quemuel.

Filmic representations and cinema in general, have the potential power of shaping and transforming perceptions of historical events. This thesis examines how various filmic representations, ranging from those generated by the Office of War Information, mainstream Hollywood, documentaries, and independent films, have helped to re-image the forced mass removal and relocation of persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast and Hawai'i to U.S. concentration camps--images which are often uncritically consumed and accepted as historical truth and fact. Thus, I argue for the need for critical viewing, for audiences to recognize that the images portrayed on the screen are simulated reel realities which privilege particular narratives and voices. Moreover, the images presented on the screen reflect the various perspectives, positions, and agendas of the filmmakers and it is thus necessary to examine the contexts from which the re-imaging process emerges.