In Julie Otsuka's novel, there is a clear separation between the main characters in the novel -- the Japanese Americans in the internment camps -- and the Americans on the other side of the fence. The fence comes to symbolize an apparent physical and metaphorical dichotomy between the two cultures and people. Even after the fence is removed, an invisible separation remains, which stems from each side having an innate fear of the other. Historically speaking, how did this fear of the unknown or other translate into wartime hysteria during World War II? What are the implications in today's world? Are there things we are doing now that we may regret in 50 years time?

History of Discrimination

What is the definition of xenophobia?

What does an American look like?

What was the Yellow Peril?

How did representation of the Yellow Peril work as a propaganda tool against Asians in early twentieth-century film and other communication media?

Read more about the history of discrimination against Japanese Americans in California in the early 1900s.

Edward Said & Orientalism

Learn about Edward Said's Orientalism -- a widely controversial text that theorizes Western culture's coming to terms with the East (the Orient) through romanticization, exoticism, and ultimately prejudice and racism. Explore significant essays and points of view regarding the Orientalism debate.

Find out more about Orientalism in English literature.

Racial Profiling

What is racial profiling?

Read a statement from the US Department of Justice regarding the current Bush administration's stand on racial profiling.

Read the End of Racial Profiling Act of 2004, which was proposed by Sen. Russell Feingold [D-WI] in Congress, but which never actually became law.