Communicating War within Topaz, Mary Fujii’s Melancholic Speech, “Home Without a Fence” in 1943

• In Event: Examining the Politics of Curriculum and its Influence

Abstract

Mary Fujii, a California local, became a resident of Topaz Internment camp from 1942 to 1945. As a Japanese American, she was abruptly put into a camp, but maintained her love for education. As an orator, she wrote a speech about how she coped with the war and missed her husband, like her fellow Americans. Manchester University sponsored Fujii to leave camp and speak at forensic tournaments, where she won the 1943 National Oratorical Women's Tournament. However, her victory is difficult to find. This paper interrogates the relationship between institutional support during wartime education and the role of students communicating within and about the war.

Author

• Vivian Bo Kyung Lee, University of Utah