SINAS Research Seminar: '“US Forces Must Be Powerful, General Eichelberger Warns”: The American Occupation of Japan'
- Date: 25 November 2024, 15:15–17:00
- Location: English Park, Room 16-1044
- Type: Seminar
- Lecturer: Samantha Lanevi, University of Cambridge
- Organiser: Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS)
- Contact person: Christin Mays
On Monday, November 25th, Samantha Lanevi (PhD candidate in History, University of Cambridge) will present the work-in-progress text '“US Forces Must Be Powerful, General Eichelberger Warns”: The American Occupation of Japan' at the SINAS Research Seminar.
Description: Drawing on papers of General Robert Eichelberger, who commanded the US Eight Army responsible for overseeing the occupation of Japan, as well as newspaper and other primary sources, this chapter seeks to illuminate how American occupation policy and policy towards American-Japanese relationships and eventual marriages reflected its imperial aims in the wake of the war’s end. More specifically, the chapter delves into venereal disease control, the interplay of government control over prostitution and fraternization with the public reaction to these policies, and the Japanese public opinion over the occupation and the nascent romantic relationships between Japanese women and American soldiers, particularly the relationships between Black American soldiers and Japanese women. The American and Japanese government’s attempted governance over women’s bodies will be a central pillar in this chapter to interrogate American imperial aims.
The seminar will take place in person (English Park campus, room 16-1044) and on Zoom. The text will be available one week before the seminar.