Scars of War - (Borderlands and Transcultural Studies) by Sabrina Thomas

About the Book

Scars of War examines how the exclusion of mixed-race persons and people of Asian descent in the United States shaped policymakers' efforts to recognize the Amerasians of Vietnam as American children and initiate legislation that designated them unfit for American citizenship.

Book Synopsis

Best First Book Award from the History Honor Society, Phi Alpha Theta

Scars of War examines the decisions of U.S. policymakers who denied American citizenship to the Amerasians of Vietnam--the biracial sons and daughters of American fathers and Vietnamese mothers born during the Vietnam War. Focusing on the implications of the 1982 Amerasian Immigration Act and the 1987 Amerasian Homecoming Act, Sabrina Thomas investigates why policymakers deemed a population unfit for American citizenship, despite the fact that they had American fathers.

Thomas argues that citizenship exclusion was a component of bigger issues confronting the Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations: international relationships in the Cold War era, America's defeat in the Vietnam War, and a history in the United States of racially restrictive immigration and citizenship policies against mixed-race persons and people of Asian descent.

Now more politically relevant than ever, Scars of War explores ideas of race, nation, and gender in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Thomas exposes the contradictory approach of policymakers unable to reconcile Amerasian biracialism with the U.S. Code. As they created an inclusionary discourse deeming Amerasians worthy of American action, guidance, and humanitarian aid, federal policymakers simultaneously initiated exclusionary policies that designated these people unfit for American citizenship.

Review Quotes

"Rigorously researched, captivatingly written, and compellingly argued, Scars of War details the legislative process surrounding migration programs for Vietnamese Amerasians. Thomas offers keen insight into the ways ideas about war, race, gender, and nation intersect in American thought and law."--Amanda C. Demmer, author of After Saigon's Fall: Refugees and U.S.-Vietnamese Relations, 1975-2000

"A welcome addition to the growing body of research on the Amerasian issue and deserves a wide readership. It presents, for the first time, a thoroughly researched, comprehensive history of the Amerasian issues, thereby filling a significant research gap. For students and scholars alike, it will be an invaluable resource for exploring the politics of paternity and responsibility for the Amerasians of Vietnam. A better understanding of the Amerasian issue can contribute to the development of effective policies for children of foreign soldiers and local women in current and future conflicts and post-conflict regions."--Lukas Schretter, Journal of Cold War Studies

"Scars of War makes the important, nuanced assertion that the denial of paternity and parental responsibility has shaped the exercise of American empire in Asia. Many scholars and journalists have explored the history of Amerasians, but not with the thoroughness and singularity of focus that this author deploys."--Allison Varzally, author of Children of Reunion: Vietnamese Adoptions and the Politics of Family Migrations

"Scars of War offers a new perspective that is important for understanding U.S. policy and also provides a window into the lives of marginalized people in Vietnam. It takes up complex issues of human rights and citizenship at a moment in world history when these problems are particularly visible and troubling."--Karen Gottschang Turner, author of Even the Women Must Fight: Memories of War from North Vietnam

About the Author

Sabrina Thomas is an associate professor of African American history and war and society at Texas Tech University. Robert J. Mrazek is a former U.S. congressman of New York.