Northern Michigan University will host Apparitions of the Non-Alien, Photography: Ghost Pictures of WWII Incarceration, a lecture hosted by Vincent Schleitwiler about photography related to the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. This event is free to attend and open to the public. It will begin at 6 p.m., on April 20, in Mead Auditorium or online.
Schleitwiler, a professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington, author and public scholar, will examine photographic representation, past and present, of the forced removal and confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II. The photographs range from sanctioned or illicit images taken by incarcerees to more recent pilgrimages and reconstructions produced by descendants of camp survivors.
Through exploring the non-alien photographically, this talk considers how perception sustains the past as an active site of struggle over “racial justice,” transformative solidarity and collective liberation.
Schleitwiler is a fourth-generation Japanese American and teaches courses related to Asian and African American history. He also has done research into related fields, which has appeared in journals such as African American Review, Amerasia Journal, Global Performance Studies, Film Quarterly and Comparative Literature.
This event is co-sponsored by the English Visiting Scholar Program and the Diversity Common Reader Program. For more information or to view this event virtually, visit nmu.edu/dcrp/upcoming-events.