How to Tell Japs from Chinese

How to Tell Japs from Chinese

Japanese Americans--History--20th century.

This article appearing in the December 22, 1941 issue of Life magazine was written in response to violence against Chinese Americans based on their mistaken identity as people of Japanese descent. This reflects both the acceptance of anger against Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor (there is, after all, no attempt to dissuade people from attacking people of Japanese ancestry) and the historical conflation of people of East Asian descent. The visuals portray men of Chinese descent as having "delicate" and "long-boned" faces, whereas men of Japanese descent have a "more massively boned head" and a "heavier beard."

Life, December 22, 1941, Page 81

Chicago, Ill.: Time, Inc.

1941-12-22

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English

Text

AP2.L547.1941.12.22.p81