Valerie Matsumoto’s Farming the Home Place is a study of the social and cultural history of Cortez, a small agricultural settlement located in the San Joaquin Valley of California. This in-depth study of several generations residing in a close knit ethnic community focuses on the Japanese immigration experience during a time when many Americans were at unease with the thought of incoming immigrants from Asia. It examines in detail the forced evacuation of thousands of Japanese Issei and Nisei in accordance with Executive Order 9066 during World War II and its effects on family dynamics, the functions of community and generational change. Matsumoto follows three generations (Issei, Nisei and Sansei) and chronicles their journey from their arrival in America to the challenges they faced during the Anti-Japanese movement of the 1920’s followed by the eventual internment during WWII and concluding with an examination of the adjustment period following the end of WWII and the return to the “Home Place.”

While many books have been written with a focus on ethnic community studies, Matsumoto’s book concentrates its efforts on the study of small rural ethnic communities rather than large metropolitan centers such as Seattle or Los Angeles. By highlighting life within a small ethnic enclave such as Cortez, the “dynamics of gender-role negotiation” as well as the strengthening of community ties through social and cultural organizations become more apparent and display more meaning.

Successive generations of Cortez Japanese Americans clearly demonstrate the evolution of changing gender roles on the farm as well as in the home. An example of such change can be seen in the inheritance of farmland by the Sansei. As the older generation approaches retirement age, the “Home Place” is usually taken over by the oldest son and his family. If no sons exist to take over the farm, the land is likely to be sold to another male family member such as a nephew or uncle. However, a generational shift occurs with the Sansei in that female family members are now given the opportunity to take over the family farm if they so chose whereas, in previous generations, they were limited to mostly domestic chores. Although the subject of intergenerational studies and changing gender roles may also be examined within the context of urban Japanese American households, by studying these changes on a much smaller scale, the reader becomes more sentimentally involved with the people interviewed in Matsumoto’s book.

Matsumoto’s approach to researching the community of Cortez included the close examination of such primary sources as community records, local newspapers and WWII concentration camp publications. However, it was the taped interviews of eighty three Issei, Nisei and Sansei that contributed to the bulk of the information contained within this book. By utilizing oral history as the primary method of her research, Matsumoto is able to bring forth a more personal relationship between researcher and subject. A list of actual questions asked of the interviewees is included in the appendix and act as a guide for those who may consider using oral history interviews to conduct social and cultural historical research of their own.

Although the sense of community and culture within the Japanese American population in Cortez would have likely continued to strengthen had it not been for the internment, this moment in history significantly influenced much of the changes in gender roles and intergenerational relations. As the Issei grow older and pass on, it seems as though much of the culture they brought with them from Japan dies along with them. However, by reading Matsumoto’s book, one discovers that future generations of Japanese Americans are growing considerably more interested in learning about their unique culture through other means such as Japanese language lessons as well as the practice of Japanese arts such as dance and cooking. Cortez continues to act as the “home base” for many of the Sansei and Yonsei who have drifted far from home in pursuit of careers or other opportunities. This is perhaps what sets Cortez apart from larger enclaves in urban areas. The younger generation has a much stronger tie to the “Home Place” that their elders helped build and this will continue to be the case with future generations as well. ( )

Reviewed March 2001

Required reading for history SBST 350 CSUMB. Very interesting look at a nearly forgotten community in Cortez, CA. Spanning 3 generations Matsumoto explains what life is like for the Issei, Nisei and Sansie using oral interviews. As a class we also watched a PBS video concerned the Japanese men interned in camps whom refused to be drafted into WWII. These two sources give a terrific insight into a moment of time I was not aware of. I would to have liked more photographs used in the book. The author does get a bit close to her informants, leaving out the dirt and washing over what must have been unpleasantness.

5-2001 ( )