ETHN 14:
Introduction to Asian American Studies
Department of
Ethnic Studies &
Asian American
Studies Program
California State
University,
Sacramento
Week 5 Session 2
Chinese Americans After 1942
Last Time
• Discussed/defined crosscutting themes that
will allow us to conduct a comparative
analysis of communities over the next several
weeks
• Applied crosscutting themes to Ch. 3 of
Kitano and Daniels by categorizing and
contextualizing key terms associated with the
early Chinese American experience
Today
• Discuss Hu-Dehart’s piece
• Analyze terms from Kitano & Daniels on the Chinese
American experience
• Feedback on Reading Notes
Crosscutting Themes
Chinese Americans
Immigrant Populations
Sojourner immigrants
Settlement Patterns
Gold Rush, San Francisco (dai fu), Railroads, bachelor societies
Factors that influenced
Immigration (PushPull)
Sojourner immigrants
Labor
Gold Rush, Agriculture, Railroad, laundries
Questions to
consider:
-How is the
community
structured?
-How is power
distributed?
Exclusion,
Surveillance, and
Discrimination
-How are
identities
constructed
inside and
Foreign Miners Tax, Chinese Exclusion Act, Ordinances of living and labor conditions
outside of the
community?
Community Institutions
Six Companies, Family Associations, Tongs, bachelor societies
Cultural
representations of the
racialized “other”
Charlie Chan, hatchet men
Country of Origin’s
Relationship with US
Government
Generations and
Acculturation
-Where are
cultural
differences
observed?
Recap of Monday’s Discussion
What social
structures
shape their
experience?
How does
power
distribution
shape
experience?
How is
experience
shaped by the
way power
impacts social
structure?
Recap of Monday’s Discussion
What social
structures
shape their
experience?
How does
power
distribution
shape
experience?
How is
experience
shaped by the
way power
impacts social
structure?
Key question: does power shape social structure, or
does social structure influence power?
Hu-Dehart’s “Chinatowns and
Borderlands”
Some quick “take-aways”: Patterns in Asian immigration,
settlement, and labor are rooted in colonization and neocolonization / globalization. We need to be careful not to
consider “experience” solely from a nation perspective.
Key Terms:
• Ethnic enclaves
• Chinatowns
• Borderlands
• Diaspora
• Subcontracting
• Garment industry
• Neo-colonization/Globalization
• Colonization
• Co-ethnic exploitation
Kitano & Daniels, Ch. 4: Chinese After 1943
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Paper Sons
The Good Earth
World War II economy
Arrival of Chinese women
Cold War
Ping-Pong diplomacy
Hiram Fong
Levels of education
Model Minority
Immigration Act of 1965
The fall of Saigon
12. Tiananmen Square
demonstration
13. FOBs and ABCs
14. Dr. Wen Ho Lee
Crosscutting Themes
Chinese Americans
Immigrant Populations
Sojourner immigrants, paper sons, Chinses women, levels of education,
Immigration Act of 1965
Settlement Patterns
San Francisco (dai fu), Railroads, bachelor societies, Chinatowns, ethnic
enclaves
Factors that influenced Immigration (Push-Pull)
Gold Rush, Sojourner immigrants, Colonization, Chinese diaspora,
Immigration Act of 1965
Labor
Gold Rush, Agriculture, Railroad, laundries, garment industry, subcontracting,
World War II economy, levels of education
Country of Origin’s Relationship with US
Government
Globalization/neo-colonization, Chinese diaspora, The Good Earth, The Cold
War, ping pong diplomacy, the fall of Saigon, Tienemen Square
demonstration
Exclusion, Surveillance, and Discrimination
Foreign Miners Tax, Chinese Exclusion Act, ordinances of living and labor
conditions, co-ethnic exploitation, Dr. Wen Ho Lee
Community Institutions
Six Companies, Family Associations, Tongs, bachelor societies, Hiram Fong
Cultural representations of the racialized “other”
Charlie Chan, hatchet men, The Good Earth, Model Minority, Immigration Act
of 1965
Generations and Acculturation
Native Sons of the Golden State, paper sons, Hiram Fong, FOBs, ABCs
Points
Characteristics
9-10
• Demonstrates intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm
• Articulates the problem/issue/phenomenon
• States the author’s thesis/position/argument.
• Locates and summarizes constitutive elements of the argument.
• Identifies and defines/describes key terms upon which the author
builds their argument.
• Provides some reflection, critique, and/or connection to our course.
• Thoughtful and thorough work.
7-8
• Breaks down argument.
• Decent effort but analysis may not be as careful or thorough.
• Makes connection to class topics and discussions.
• Provides a reaction or opinion
5-6
• Summarizes some key ideas.
• Does not identify argument.
0-4
• Summarizes random points
• Shows little reflection
• Hurried effort
Some Tips on Academic Reading
• Put in the time. Three hours of class time requires six hours of
outside preparation. That means for each class session, you
should expect to prepare roughly 2 hours.
• Reading is a social process. We tend to think of it as a solitary
experience.
– Think of rituals story time in preschool and kindergarten.
• Holding group discussions about readings can be crucial – form
study groups, hold conversations, have a reading buddy.
• Pay attention to patterns – all texts have some kind of format.
– Every text has a question or problem at its root, whether it is explicitly stated
or not. Think to yourself, what is the problem this person is trying to solve or
phenomenon they are trying to explore? How do they organize their thinking
on the topic? What are the bigger ideas, and how are these broken down
into smaller ones?
• Pay attention to what you want to get from the text. In our case,
the major ideas for our course have been outlined. Pay
particularly close attention to the theoretical framework and
crosscutting themes we’ve been discussing.
• Be patient. Reading in unfamiliar territory is a skill that develops
over time.
• Remember you have tons of resources!
– Peers, professor, teaching assistants, support service
programs (writing center, counselors, etc.) can help you to
improve your study skills, keep you motivated, and hold you
accountable.
To Prepare for Next Session
• Kitano Daniels, Ch. 5-6 on Japanese Americans.
• OBD: Bulosan, Part I (Ch. 1-12) – short chapters,
don’t panic.