Research Symposium

BIO

Hi! My name is Annalia Buchanan. I am a history major from Little Rock, Arkansas interested in archival research alongside oral history and modern folklore. Some of my study focuses are American Southern history, legal policy, and LGBT+ history. When I'm not watching lectures at one of my favorite local cafes or facetiming my cats, I love going to concerts and listening to music as part of my job at FSU's student-run radio station!

The Shogun's Grandniece

Abstract

The history of Japanese-American relations is a fascinating field with many oscillations between periods of tension and allyship. Due to these changes, the cultural history between these two countries is rich and can often seem outwardly confusing to amateur historians. My instructor's book will seek to unite both historical and personal perspectives through the story of Mrs. Chiye Hachisuka. Working as microhistory, this book will attempt to encapsulate the cultural history of these different groups of people through the eyes of one family. Most of my methodology stemmed from the assignment given to me by my instructor along with the goals I formed on my own. My job was to be the researcher for this project was to get background context and delve into the family's public history. I started this project with research on the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two after discovering the family's history with internment. After this background context, I got in touch with the subject librarian for my major (history) to inquire if FSU had free ancestry access and was directed to the Leon County Library System. I spent days combing through all the documents I could find. When I compiled them, my process was to summarize the contents of the documents. After this work, I began forming a timeline of all of the relevant historical and personal events throughout this time period. I am still using ancestry and other sources as a means of gathering further information.

Keywords: shogun, japanese-american, microhistory