Yuji Ichioka
Encyclopedia
Yuji Ichioka, was an American
historian best known for his work in ethnic studies
, particularly Asian American Studies
. Adjunct Professor Yuji Ichioka (History and Asian American Studies). He coined the term "Asian American
" to help unify different Asian ethnic groups (e.g. Japanese American
s, Chinese American
s, Korean American
s, etc.), and was considered the preeminent scholar of Japanese American history.
. As a child, he was interned with his family at the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah. Ichioka received an M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from UC Berkeley in 1968, and later served as a senior researcher at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA) from approximately 1969 to his death at the age of 66.
Ichioka coined the term "Asian American" to frame a new self-defining political lexicon. Before that, people of Asian ancestry were generally called Oriental or Asiatic. His seminal work, "Issei: The World of the First Generation Japanese Immigrants, 1885-1924," won the 1989 U.S. History Book Award of the National Assn. for Asian American Studies.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian best known for his work in ethnic studies
Ethnic studies
Ethnic studies is the interdisciplinary study of racialized peoples in the world in relation to ethnicity. It evolved in the second half of the 20th century partly in response to charges that traditional disciplines such as anthropology, history, English, ethnology, Asian studies, and orientalism...
, particularly Asian American Studies
Asian American Studies
Asian American Studies is an academic discipline which studies the experience of people of Asian ancestry in America. Closely related to other Ethnic Studies disciplines such as African American Studies, Latino/a Studies, and Native American Studies, Asian American Studies critically examines the...
. Adjunct Professor Yuji Ichioka (History and Asian American Studies). He coined the term "Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
" to help unify different Asian ethnic groups (e.g. Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
s, Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
s, Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
s, etc.), and was considered the preeminent scholar of Japanese American history.
Biography
Yuji Ichioka was born in 1936 in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. As a child, he was interned with his family at the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah. Ichioka received an M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from UC Berkeley in 1968, and later served as a senior researcher at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA) from approximately 1969 to his death at the age of 66.
Ichioka coined the term "Asian American" to frame a new self-defining political lexicon. Before that, people of Asian ancestry were generally called Oriental or Asiatic. His seminal work, "Issei: The World of the First Generation Japanese Immigrants, 1885-1924," won the 1989 U.S. History Book Award of the National Assn. for Asian American Studies.