Introducing the Landscapes of Injustice Digital Research Database.

Landscapes of Injustice is excited to announce our Digital Research Database.

Access it here: https://loi.uvic.ca/archive/

LINK TO THE RECORDING OF COMMUNITY DROP-IN SESSION 1 APRIL 28, 2021 https://youtu.be/AljggGVrkz8

LINK TO RESILIENCY AND COPING presentation by Dawn Schell https://www.landscapesofinjustice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Resiliency-Coping.pdf

The Research Database contains materials from many archives to provide visitors with thousands of records related to Japanese Canadian history and the dispossession of their property in the 1940s. The materials have been organized so that visitors can browse and search this immense collection with ease. With the guidance of Project Director Jordan Stanger-Ross and specialists Lisa Uyeda and Stewart Arneil , the LOI digital archive team created this as part of knowledge mobilization efforts which also include a narrative website, a touring museum exhibit (Broken Promises), as well as primary and secondary school teaching resource sites. We hope that the Research Database serves as an enduring resource for members of the Japanese Canadian community and the wider researching public and stands as a testament to a history of injustice. It will also be updated periodically with new research, as activities related to Landscapes of Injustice continue.

More Information:

• A short 3 min. video about the Research Database: https://vimeo.com/461601867/a2f9861ee9 
• Launch event session 1 March 28, 2021 https://youtu.be/wZhamaJEH7o
• Launch event session 2 March 31, 2021 https://youtu.be/HPpNs5cKaQE
• “NAJC Chats” Exploring Japanese Canadian Family Histories May 28, 2020  https://youtu.be/y9HzwqqBkS0
• “NAJC Chats” Exploring Japanese Canadian Family Histories May 31, 2020 https://youtu.be/0H-jhjtLDPw

Reporting Corrections

We have received several emails from community members reporting errors in the database. Our team is in discussion to formulate a strategy to address these issues. The original records themselves contain many incorrect, and variations of spelling of names. These original errors cannot, unfortunately, be corrected. However, in the descriptions and metadata that we have created, we will establish a process to denote the correct spelling. We will also correct any mistakes that result from human error on the part of our research team.

Given the scale of the collection, we cannot promise immediate changes. But please rest assured we are looking into this and anticipate an update to the database at two dates in the next year.

Thank you for your understanding.

Additional Resources

• Understanding the Bird Commission: Many case files of the Custodian of Enemy Property include records from the “Bird Commission,” federal Royal Commission that heard Japanese Canadian claims for economic compensation after the war (1947-1951). This document, created by LOI Research Coordinator Kaitlin Findlay, helps users to contextualize and understand that part of the records.