You may have never heard of this tiny island Japanese prefecture 400 miles south of the mainland, but Okinawa was the site of World War II’s final and biggest Pacific battle. The island and its inhabitants were caught between the United States and Japanese militaries in “the typhoon of steel,” the largest land-air-sea battle in human history. Until 1972, the United States had a close hand in gover
ning the island. Since 1945, the relationship between Okinawans, the Japanese mainland, and the United States has been complicated. The Gail Project is an innovative student-centered undertaking engaged in creating a trans-Pacific dialogue between these peoples. We want to further understand and unravel the complexities of this relationship. The focus of our project is a series of black-and-white photographs taken in 1951 and 1952 by a US Army Dentist stationed in Okinawa. His name was Charles Eugene Gail. Dr. Gail’s compelling photographs capture images of family relations, spiritual rituals, landscapes and the daily activities of the Okinawan people in a time just right before US military bases began to dominate the island. The images provide a useful opportunity to investigate a variety of questions—both current and historical—about the lives of Okinawans who, at the time, were living under American occupation. We hope to answer our questions using a number of public history tools. Our ultimate goal is the creation of an international traveling exhibition along with a companion website containing related oral histories, links and historical documents. As the exhibition premiers at here at UC Santa Cruz and then travels to various locations of Okinawan diaspora around the world, we will collect an archive of oral histories with subjects from both sides of the Pacific. Hearing the story of the island through the words of Okinawans will be especially fascinating. Our project began as a senior seminar in fall 2013, bringing together students of history, art, psychology and politics. Under the direction of East Asian Studies Professor Alan Christy, and working with a number of professionals, the students embarked on a series of research projects. These involved topics such as gender relations, nonviolent resistance, education, diaspora and soundscapes in postwar Okinawa. The investigation even took us to Yokohama, Japan, where we furthered our research and collaborated with our Japanese peers at Yokohama National University. There is still yet more to do. This year we are beginning to gather oral histories. We also continue to deepen our understanding of various postwar topics, pouring over declassified military documents and myriad primary and secondary related sources. This is only the beginning of what we dream will be an engaging way to better understand Okinawa, ourselves, and the dynamic relationship between our countries and their citizens. We hope to travel to Okinawa in June 2017 to experience the island first-hand. Once there, we will be able to find some of the subjects from Mr. Gail’s photographs, or their relatives, and record our conversations with them about Okinawan life in the 1950s. We look forward to the bringing these findings to the public. If you have any connection to Okinawa, please contact us. Your story is important! For more information, photos, and articles on the Gail Project, visit our other social medias:
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