Breaking Curfew: Everyday Japanese American Resistance during World War II

Starting in early 1942, World War II curfew, travel, and contraband restrictions were placed on all Japanese Americans. These restrictions were among the earliest assaults on Japanese American rights and lives, and they were deeply felt. In contrast to forced relocation and internment, the restrictions were also broadly resisted. Using previously overlooked FBI case files, Anna Pegler-Gordon explores this extensive everyday resistance. Unlike individuals who filed legal challenges against the curfew—such as Mary Ventura, Minoru Yasui, and Gordon Hirabayashi—most curfew violators did not express their opposition by claiming U.S. citizenship. Instead, they emphasized their ability to live their lives as they had done before the war. In this way, curfew resisters not only defied U.S. law, but they also outlined a more inclusive understanding of belonging, not just for U.S. citizens but for all people of Japanese descent living in the United States during World War II.

This is the Cheng Foundation Lecture.