<論説>一九三六年ロスアンジェルス・セロリ・ストライキと日系農業コミュニティ

Abstract

一九三六年のロスアンジェルス近郊の農業ストライキは、メキシコ系、日系を中心とする少数派民族集団の労働者と日系農罠との間の争議であった。この少数派民族集団間の争議は、長引く不況のなかでのエスニシティと階級の関わりを鮮明に提示している。農業労働者たちは、エスニック・ユニオンを基礎として、労働条件の改善を要求した。一方、日系農業コミュニティの側は、エスニシティを基礎とした階級縦断的な団結によって解決しようとしたが、結果として日系農業コミュニティ内の階層分化が表面化した。しかし、それはあくまで日系人の枠内での対立であり、エスニシティをこえた動きとはならなかったのである。ニューディール期のアメリカ社会では、エスニシティの重要性は低下したというのが一般的な見方である。しかし、カリフォルニアにおいて、ニューディール体制の枠組から外された少数派民族集団の農業労働老や農民は、エスニシティの枠内に留まりながら、時にエスニシティを基盤として、各々の経済的利害を守ろうとしたのである。

The Los Angeles celery strike was a struggle between desperate workers ethnic minorities and Japanese small tenant farmers who managed to survive during the the Great Depression. The economic crisis made small tenant farmers pay less to workers in comparison with larger farmers. In addition, white supremacy put Japanese farmers, most of whom were small tenant farmers, in a more precarious situation. Consequently, Japanese farmers employed agricultural workers in harsher conditions. Against this situation, Mexican, Filipino and Japanese agricultural workers organized themselves into unions based on their own ethnicity. These ethnic unions cooperated with each other in a strike to demand better working conditions and the recognition of their unions. Feeling the pressure of the white power structure, Japanese farmers followed the leaders of the Japanese agricultural community and took strong attitudes against the workers in the eary stages of the strike. As the strike dragged on, however, it became difficult for each individual Japanese small farmer to maintain this strong attitude. Some of them made individual agreements with workers and recognized the union. Some local organizations quit the central organization of Japanese farmers. Thus, an analysis of the strike illuminates that ethnicity acquired a deeper significance in Californian agriculture during the Great Depression. First of all, for agricultural workers, ethnicity was not obstacle for organization but became the basis of their unionization. Second, this strike demonstrates that power relations among minority groups made labor relations harsher and more complicated. Lastly, an analysis of this strike calls for a review of the "ethnic solidarity" of the Japanese agricultural community. The Japanese immigrants were not "exceptionally" cohesive. Japanese agricultural workers participated in the strike against Japanese farmers. Small tenant farmers could not follow the leaders of the community. In a word, the economic crisis sharpened the problem common to other ethnic groups : relations between ethnicity and class.