The East Asian Métis in Francophone Literatures of the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and North America by Benjamin Hiramatsu Ireland
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The East Asian Métis in Francophone Literatures of the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and North America by Benjamin Hiramatsu Ireland A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Romance Languages and Literatures: French) in the University of Michigan 2017 Doctoral Committee: Professor Jarrod L. Hayes, Chair Professor Frieda Ekotto Assistant Professor Christopher L. Hill Professor Peggy S. McCracken Benjamin Hiramatsu Ireland [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9952-5306 © Benjamin Hiramatsu Ireland 2017 DEDICATION To Mom and Dad ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to my dissertation chair and advisor, Dr. Jarrod Hayes, for his tireless dedication and support throughout the entire stages of this dissertation and my graduate career. My gratitude is extended in addition to Dr. Peggy McCracken, my first advisor at Michigan, who has selflessly dedicated her time, knowledge, and passions to inspire. I would like to thank Dr. Frieda Ekotto, who has served as an exceptional dissertation and preliminary examination committee member. As the final member of my committee, Dr. Christopher Hill has played an invaluable role in this dissertation’s fruition, and my gratitude goes to him for his deft Asianist readings. Although not formally part of my dissertation committee, Dr. Lawrence Kritzman has played an enormous part of my academic and professional growth. I am immensely indebted to his inspiring mentorship, support, and wise words of wisdom on teaching and publishing. To think it all started from a serendipitous encounter at an Italian restaurant after a rainy-evening Roland Barthes conference in Wales makes our friendship even more immensely special to me. In addition to my committee, I thank Dr. Olga Gallego-Smith who has been a source of infinite amounts of inspiration and support during my career at Michigan, for which I am grateful. It was a sincere joy to have been your student during our methods seminar many years ago, and I look forward to the years of friendship ahead. I am also iii grateful to Dr. Yannick Viers and Prof. Stephanie Goetz for their love, support, and guidance and for being truly exemplary coordinators, along with Prof. Lorrel Sullivan whose gifts for stellar coordinating and teaching were contagious. The family-like atmosphere that you all have cultivated in RLL will forever remain with me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my former professors, fellow colleagues, and engaging interlocutors in the United States, France, Japan, and the South Pacific who have played a monumental role in my educational formation. In particular, for their insights and hospitable collegiality throughout the various junctures of my academic career, I thank Paula Rabalais, Patrick Benoit, Barbara Alvarez, Ruby Tapia, Paul Anderson, George Hoffmann, Michèle Hannoosh, Anton Shammas, Sandrine Schirmacher, Maryline Hartman, Matthieu Dupas, Lori McMann, Ayeza Siddiqi, Jennifer Gordon, Bethany Kreps, María Dorantes, Lauren Wester-Murphy, Victoriano Garre León, Fanny Oudin, Adeleine Lionetto-Hesters, Myriam Roman, Augustin Bocco, Emily Pace, David Pettersen, Caroline Fache, and the late Robert Whitton. My gratitude goes to Marie Odile Germain of the Manuscripts Department of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France for her assistance, as well as former University of Michigan RLL librarian Jennifer Bonnet for her invaluable assistance in acquiring the rare texts presented within this dissertation. My thanks to Joséphine, Pascal, and Adrien Lemaître for their assistance during my research sojourn in Nouméa, New Caledonia. I must acknowledge here Régis Vendégou, as well as the entirety of the New Caledonian government for their support iv of this dissertation project, as well as Marie-José Michel, whose tireless assistance, friendship, and kindheartedness has touched me. Without Marie-José’s behind-the- scenes presence, my research in New Caledonia would still be in the starting stages; I am forever grateful to her, Robert Michel, and for the Amicale Japonaise for their generosity, support, and insights. I also would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Dany Dalmayrac, whose works I have the pleasure analyzing in chapter three, for his hospitality in Nouméa. Truly, our friendship is one that was destined entre frères métis; and I will forever cherish our bond, especially when it involves late-night conversations in the Poya brousse with our friends, deer meat, and road trips. A sincere thanks to Eileen and Ron Weiser, whose generosity and support have touched me in profound ways. A special mention to my dear friend and brother Danny Weiser, who I have seen grow after surmounting myriad challenges into such a fine, kind-hearted young man conversant in Japanese and French. Our innumerable sessions in the MLB have made for wonderful memories. In addition, I thank Eric He, Wen Huang, and Megan He for their familial warmth, friendship, and generosity during my last year at Michigan. What a wonderful opportunity it was to become friends with the Weiser and He-Huang families through the Ann Arbor’s Community Resource program. My gratitude additionally goes to my former students in the University of Michigan’s Elementary Language Program and Literature sequence for their infectious enthusiasm and energy, to those in my graduate cohort, to my colleagues at the 2015 v Dartmouth Institute, and to my dear friends for their unwavering support. Although it would be nearly impossible to list those life-long friends, I would like to thank the following in particular, following no particular order the names that have not been mentioned yet: Matthew Borowitz, Ian Quackenbos, Ameya Hanumante, Alina Kameniuk, Eric Paimbouc, Marie-Noël Paimbouc, Marie-Armelle Dalmayrac, Naveen Kakaraparthi, Hannah Qin, Tina Yu, Bruno Jean-François, Patrick Domico, Priscilla Charrat Nelson, Amanda Trau, Mo Zhang, Xun Yuan, Helena Skorovsky, Abigail Celis, Suzy Ogawa, Mike Ogawa, Miho Ogawa, Nolan Boyd, Emily Gibbons, Marc Belloni, Christophe Donias, Céline Uguen, Bernard Cozien, Juan Alegre, Wade Morgan, Georgy Khabarovskiy, Chrissy Rujiraorchai, Nisa Nualpenyai, Pauline Schnoebelen, Paul Parachini, Annabel and Frances Luescher, Anne Dietterich, Michelle Nuberon, Nawael Khelil, Valérie Herbunot, Julie Nomas, Brad Cooney, André Lebeau, Alex Faby, Joseph Sills, Shashank Suresh, Karen Soos, Reyna Gonzáles, Francia Rugamas, Alison Owl Banka, Mike and Sharon Banka, and all my dear friends calédoniens and en brousse. Finally, my sentiments of gratitude go to family who have supported me since my first steps: To Jen, Sean, and my rocket-scientist nephew Sean Grace. The prayer support from Jen, Sean, and Seanie have been transformational in more ways that I can begin to articulate. I am immensely grateful for their presence in my life. My thanks to Colleen, Patricia, Katie, Elma, and the late Alex LeDoux; to Katherine Ireland Klick and the late Linda Ireland; to Mutti, for her grandmotherly affection; and to my family in Japan, including Yasumoto-no-Obasan, Kimio Obasan, Kazuto Ojisan, Toyono-no- Obasan, Kazumi Obasan; to Mieko Obasan, Kyoji Ojisan, Tomoki-kun, Naomi-chan, vi Miha-chan; to Oji-chan and the late Oba-chan, my beloved grandparents who have watched me grow on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. My utmost gratitude goes to my mother Takako and my father Edward who have been my never-ending sources of inspiration, happiness, strength, and love; they are the self-sacrificing, humble heroes; supporters; and my best friends to whom I owe everything and beyond. It is with all the love from my heart that I dedicate my work to you both, and I am forever grateful for your support and love. Finally, I dedicate my gratitude to my God whose grace and love have blessed me with the parents, family, friends, and colleagues whom I have today. The pages in this dissertation and the accomplishments that were achieved during my graduate career are products that I attribute not to my own actions but most solely to the grace, love, and inspirations that come from Him. A.M.D.G. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………...……...ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………iii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………..ix ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………..x CHAPTER I. Métissages and Francophone East Asia: Reconsidering the Trans-Oceanic French Empire……………………………………………………..…...……1 II. Savoring the Francophone Asia Pacific: Métissage and Foodways in Ook Chung’s Kimchi and Jimmy Ly’s Bonbon sœurette et pai coco……………………………………………………………...………….68 III. Francophone Japanese New Caledonians: Forgotten Histories of Incarceration and Nippo-Kanak Métissages……………………………....108 IV. The Indian Ocean and French Empire: Racialization, Animality, and Métissage in Daniel Honoré’s Ma Chine-nation…………………..…186 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………….227 WORKS CITED………………………………………………………………………232 viii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE Figure 1: Monument dedicated to the crew of the I-17. 120 Figure 2: Japanese map of Nouméa, New Caledonia, marking strategic points. 120 Figure 3: Takei Thiozo 125 Figure 4: Rose Mossé (Higashi) 131 Figure 5: Marie Anne Wamytan 132 Figure 6: Nakamura Otojiro’s Japanese artwork 133 Figure 7: Table of Japanese immigration 133 Figure 8: Petition sent to French Empire via Minister of Foreign Affairs 138 Figure 9: Letters written by Morioka Thiozo 140 Figure 10: Yokoyama Tomiki 142 Figure 11: Adrien Deramane and Ginette Honda N’Gadiman 150 Figure 12: Shelter built by Japanese prisoners at Camp Woolenook