The Ilse: First Generation Korean Immigrants in Hawaii, 1903-1973 (Hawaii Studies on Korea)

Although much has been written about early Chinese and Japanese laborers in Hawaii, until now no comprehensive work had been published on first-generation Korean immigrants, the isle. Making extensive use of primary source material from Korea, Japan, the continental U.S., and Hawaii, Wayne Patterson weaves a compelling social history of the Korean experience in Hawaii from 1903 to 1973 as seen primarily through the eyes of the isle. Japanese surveillance records, student journals, and U.S. intelligence reports--many of which were uncovered by the author--provide an "inner history" of the Korean community. Chapter topics include plantation labor, Christian mission work, the move from the plantation to the city, picture prides, relations with the Japanese government, interaction with other ethnic groups, intergenerational conflict, the World War II experience, and the postwar years. The Isle is an impressive and much-needed contribution to Korean American and Hawaii history and significantly advances our knowledge of the East Asian immigrant experience in the United States.