History Commons^™

Solidarity Divided: The Miike Strike Of 1960 And Fractures Within Japan's Labor Movement During The Cold War, John L. M. Dinh

University Honors Theses

One of the most famous episodes of labor seeking concessions from management in postwar Japan was the Miike strike of 1960 in Ōmuta, Fukuoka Prefecture. The goal of the striking coal miners was to pressure management of the Mitsui Mining Company to rescind over a thousand notices that would force those affected into "voluntary retirement," most targeted union members who were hostile to management. However, there was a lack of unity among the strikers where the miners split between the "first union" and the "second union." The first union was hostile to management and opposed such rationalization measures entirely. The …

Pacification Gone Awry: The U.S Failure To Underpin Hearts And Minds In South Vietnam, 1966–1968, Simon Mai

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: Throughout the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam from 1964 – 1968, one key strategy focused on pacification – the winning of the allegiance of South Vietnamese civilians to the Saigon-based Government of Vietnam (GVN). This paper will argue that American/GVN implementation of pacification programs at the provincial and village level revealed three fundamental factors that proved fatal and counterproductive. These factors were the political and social entrenchment of the Viet Cong or National Liberation Front (NLF), the provincial cronyism and corruption of GVN, and the indiscriminate application of American firepower in support of General William Westmoreland’s strategy of …

The Significance Of Oomoto: Why Imperialization Of Japan Led To An Alternative Religion, Chancellor T. Jenniges

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: In 1852 Admiral Matthew Perry led an American fleet to Japan and persuaded the Japanese to modernize. Fearful of being colonized by the West, like the Chinese, the Japanese moved to westernize their own economy and society. As a result, they outlawed many historic customs. Japan began to westernize their customs and define religion. Three categories were established, religion, non-religion, and superstition. Any ideology or practice that no longer benefited their goals of westernization was deemed superstitious and removed from the narrative. However, these developments met opposition. One such opponent, Ueda Kisaburō, created an alternative religion called Oomoto in …

Black Gold, White Gold, And The Bear's Influence Over Central Asian Economies, Jennifer Leo

University Honors Theses

In examining the socioeconomic state of former Soviet republics in Central Asia, it becomes clear that the current economies of nations such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have been shaped by a history of Russian dominance, followed by turbulent developments that took place during the "perestroika" and post-independence period. These periods were marked by significant changes in governance which allowed Central Asian nations to gain inclusion in the global economy, forge partnerships with economically thriving world superpowers (US and China), and emerge from the Soviet system of mono-product economies. As a result of such developments, former republics of the Soviet …

Crania Japonica: Ethnographic Portraiture, Scientific Discourse, And The Fashioning Of Ainu/Japanese Colonial Identities, Jeffrey Braytenbah

Dissertations and Theses

Japan's colonial activities on the island of Hokkaido were instrumental to the creation of modern Japanese national identity. Within this construction, the indigenous Ainu people came to be seen in dialectical opposition to the 'modern' and 'civilized' identity that Japanese colonial actors fashioned for themselves. This process was articulated through travel literature, ethnographic portraiture, and discourse in scientific racism which racialized perceived divisions between the Ainu and Japanese and contributed to the unmaking of the Ainu homeland: Ainu Mosir. The resulting narrative was used to legitimize Japanese imperialism, transforming the Empire of Japan into the only non-Western member state …

Confucianism: How Analects Promoted Patriarchy And Influenced The Subordination Of Women In East Asia, Lauren J. Littlejohn

Young Historians Conference

Analects, compiled by Confucius’ disciples, helps historians understand the origin of Chinese philosophy and women’s role in society. Analects created a separation of gender that assigned women the domestic role and granted men the authority to handle public affairs. Furthermore, Analects influenced the work of other philosophers who published similarly patriarchal works. Additionally, the subordination of women in Analects, resulted in the practice of female-infanticide, concubinage, and ghost marriages. Analects and the application of Confucianism offers historians an opportunity to study how women in East Asia were treated in the past and helps explain why women continue to …

The Islamic Iberian Peninsula: Cultural Fusion And Coexistence, Miguel A. Claxton Iii

Young Historians Conference

The Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8^th century was the first occurrence of Islam reaching mainland Europe. Rather than bloody battles or wars fueled by ideological differences, which usually accompany invasions, the invasion of Iberia lacked any major conflict or bloodshed. The following four hundred years of Islamic dominance in the region is characterized by the same lack of conflict. Through initial limited exposure, and eventual cultural fusion, Muslims and non-Muslims were able to coexist in a society that was uniquely multicultural.

Oh Project: Healing From Cambodian Genocide Headnote, Patricia A. Schechter

Oral History Interviews

This brief essay introduces the "The OH Project: Healing from Cambodian Genocide." The OH Project interviews were conducted in Portland, Oregon in the Spring of 2009. The project was developed by the Cambodian American Community of Oregon, a non-profit organization that provides cultural activities and social support to families and children. The purpose was to conduct intergenerational interviews between youth and elders in order to transmit to pass heritage from the migrating generation to youth born in the United States, and to use storytelling to help narrators heal from wartime trauma. Participants attended oral history workshops at PSU in order …

An Assessment Of Ho Chi Minh’S Strategies For Gaining Support In The Vietnamese Revolution, Madeline Fraser

Young Historians Conference

Despite Americans’ awareness of Vietnam in the context of America’s crusade against communism, little attention is paid to Ho Chi Minh as a national revolutionary in the creation of an independent Vietnam. This paper addresses Ho Chi Minh’s tactics for inciting a revolutionary spirit in the Vietnamese people, particularly his blending of communism and nationalism. Although Ho was characterized as a fervent communist in the West, an examination of his strategies reveals a man who recognized the need to diversify his platform. Ho not only employed nationalistic propaganda, but also adopted fragments of varying political ideologies and appealed to the …

Self-Presentation And Identity In The Roman Empire, Ca. 30 Bce To 225 Ce, Rhiannon Ysabel-Marie Orizaga

Dissertations and Theses

The presentation of the body in early imperial Rome can be viewed as the manipulation of a semiotic language of dress, in which various hierarchies that both defined and limited human experience were entrenched. The study of Roman self-presentation illuminates the intersections of categories of identity, as well as the individual's desire and ability to resist essentializing views of Romanness (Romanitas), and to transform destiny through transforming identity. These categories of identity include gender; sexuality or sexual behavior; social status; economic status; ethnicity or place of origin; religion; and age. Applying the model of a matrix of identity deepens our …

Mao's Rise To Power: To What Extent Did Mao Zedong Utilize Edgar Snow’S Red Star Over China To Consolidate Power?, Dorothy Zhang

Young Historians Conference

Mao Zedong's rise to power has been viewed through many lenses, such as through the downfall of the Kuomintang or through his opportunism, but this paper examines: to what extent did Mao utilize Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China to consolidate power? This question is answered by looking at Snow’s work, other historians' view of Snow's work, and reviews of Red Star when the book was first released in 1937. Snow's work was used to determine his aims in interviewing Mao and whether he intended to be a "mouthpiece" for Mao. Other historians' views were used to research Mao's previous …

China's Policies Toward The Soviet Union And The United States Before And In The Korean War, Ji Bao Yan

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis deals with China's policy making toward both the Soviet Union and the United States in late 1949 and early 1950 and how they made the decision to enter the conflict, by making use of recently declassified Chinese sources and available American sources.

The Diplomatic Stalemate Of Japan And The United States: 1941, David Hoien Overby

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis contends from the time of September 1940 to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States and Japan offered each no workable concessions that might have deterred war. A stalemate was finally established between the two countries. The position of the Japanese nation was to expand and control "Greater East-Asia," while the position the United States held was one that claimed all nations should uphold certain basic principles of democracy, that all nations should honor the sanctity of treaties," and that they should treat neighboring countries in a friendly fashion.

This thesis also contends that Yosuke Matsuoka …

"China In Crisis: The Chinese People And The Communist Political System", Robert A. Scalapino

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

Presented in a series with Hinton, W., "The Chinese Domestic Scene"

Nicholas N. Muraviev, Conqueror Of The Black Dragon, Eric E. Oulashin

Dissertations and Theses

The essential objective of this study was to reveal the degree to which one man, Nicholas Muraviev, was instrumental in bringing about Russia's annexation of The Amur basin, as well as the territory that became the Maritime Province of Siberia. Introductory chapters provide: a) a background summary of Muraviev's education and of his career prior to his service in Siberia and b) a brief historical survey of the area in which his achievements raised Russia to the position of a Far Eastern Power. The main body of the study comprises an analytical narrative of Muraviev's activities during the decade that …

"Asia, 1969", Alexander Campbell

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

One of a series of lectures presented in connection with the Joint Reed College-Portland State University Presidential Inauguration.