JOURNAL ARTICLES
Dr Rachel Pistol is a Digital Historian & Author of modern British and American history. To find out more about her research interests, consultancy and areas of expertise click here.
Travelling exhibition on The Tuna Canyon Detention Station
Today, US news reports are full of items about the Trump Presidency’s war on so-called illegal immigrants. The actions of US Immigration Control Enforcement (ICE) agents are based on a 1798 US law called the Aliens Enemies Act (AEA). This is not the first time this law has been used: it formed the basis for the US government to arrest persons of Japanese, Italian and German heritages at the beginning of World War II. History is repeating itself.
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This important new exhibition that is touring the UK, presents the story of how the AEA was used after Pearl Harbor in December 1941 to arbitrarily incarcerate over 30,000 Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants from the U.S. and from 18 Latin American countries, first in prison facilities and then in hastily established camps across the U.S.
This exhibition is sponsored by the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition, the British Association for American Studies and the University of Southampton
At the University of Southampton, Monday 17 November 2025 - Tuesday 9 December 2025
North Corridor, Building 65, Avenue Campus
The Obama Administration: Perceptions and Encounters beyond America - out now!
"The Obama Administration: Perspectives and Encounters Beyond America is a timely, original and ambitious edited collection that comprehensively explores in detail the complexities and lingering legacies of the Obama presidency beyond the US to areas that include Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. This bold and expansive book explores a range of themes including religion, the media, warfare, race and memory. Overall, an important addition to the ever-growing work on the global consequences of the historic Obama presidency." – Imaobong Umoren, LSE
BBC2 - A House Through Time
A world of history within the walls of one house. David Olusoga brings the past to life, delving deep into the lost lives of everyday Britons - under the same roof, decades apart. As war breaks out, Rachel discusses the tragic story of Italian resident Claudio Foglia who became an 'enemy alien'.​
October 17, 2024
Internment during the Second World War
“Rachel Pistol's well-researched review of Axis and Japanese American internment during WWII in both Great Britain (Isle of Man) and the US (West Coast) is well and clearly written … This very challenging book is expertly written and very welcome in the study of internment during WWII. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates and above.” – CHOICE
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Now available in paperback!
Internment during the Second World War
“Rachel Pistol's well-researched review of Axis and Japanese American internment during WWII in both Great Britain (Isle of Man) and the US (West Coast) is well and clearly written … This very challenging book is expertly written and very welcome in the study of internment during WWII. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates and above.” – CHOICE
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Now available in paperback!
British Internment and the Internment of Britons
"The volume represents an important step in exploring an element of history that is all too often overlooked, and the contribution that it makes is a valuable one. Students of modern British history will find this group of studies enriching their perspective on an aspect of the government's policies and of people's experiences."– H-Net Reviews
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Now available in Paperback!
Read Rachel Pistol's Feature Article in Presidential Studies Quarterly on postwar US Presidents and the history of Japanese American incarceration. Full text available on Open Access.