1. Introduction to Asian American Studies
ETHN 14:
Introduction to Asian American Studies
Department of Ethnic Studies & Asian American Studies Program
California State University, Sacramento
Week 4 Session 2
Chinese and “Gold Mountain”

2. Last Time
Described research methods in ethnic studies by exploring the arguments of social historians, Howard Zinn and Gary Okihiro and examining an oral history interview transcription.

3. Today
Discuss/define crosscutting themes that will allow us to conduct a comparative analysis of communities over the next several weeks
Apply crosscutting themes to Ch. 3 of Kitano and Daniels by categorizing and contextualizing key terms associated with the early Chinese American experience

4. Crosscutting Themes
Questions
Immigrant populations
Which groups immigrated?
Settlement Patterns
Where did they settle and why?
Factors that influenced immigration
What were the push factors? What were the pull factors?
Labor
What forms of work were prevalent?
Foreign Affairs
How did the nation of origin’s relationship with the US affect their experience?
Community Institutions
How are are communities organized?
Exclusion, Surveillance, and Discrimination
How did forms of bias and prejudice shape their experience?
Representations of the “Other”
What images were transmitted about the group by the dominant culture?
Generations and Acculturation
What continuities and changes took shape among different generations?

5. Categorizing Key Terms
Group 1: Sojourner immigrants, San Francisco (dai fu)
Group 2: Gold Rush, Six Companies
Group 3: Railroads, Ordinances of living and labor conditions,
Group 4: Charlie Chan, Laundries
Group 5: Foreign Miners Tax, “hatchet men”
Group 6:, Family associations, Native Sons of the Golden State
Group 7: Tongs, Agriculture
Group 8: Bachelor societies, Chinese Exclusion Act

6. Crosscutting Themes
Chinese Americans
Immigrant Populations
Sojourner immigrants
Settlement Patterns
Gold Rush, San Francisco (dai fu), Railroads, bachelor societies
Factors that influenced Immigration (Push-Pull)
Labor
Gold Rush, Agriculture, Railroad, laundries
Country of Origin’s Relationship with US Government
Exclusion, Surveillance, and Discrimination
Foreign Miners Tax, Chinese Exclusion Act, Ordinances of living and labor conditions
Community Institutions
Six Companies, Family Associations, Tongs, bachelor societies
Cultural representations of the racialized “other”
Charlie Chan, hatchet men
Generations and Acculturation

7. Questions to consider:
Crosscutting Themes
Chinese Americans
Immigrant Populations
Sojourner immigrants
Settlement Patterns
Gold Rush, San Francisco (dai fu), Railroads, bachelor societies
Factors that influenced Immigration (Push-Pull)
Labor
Gold Rush, Agriculture, Railroad, laundries
Country of Origin’s Relationship with US Government
Exclusion, Surveillance, and Discrimination
Foreign Miners Tax, Chinese Exclusion Act, Ordinances of living and labor conditions
Community Institutions
Six Companies, Family Associations, Tongs, bachelor societies
Cultural representations of the racialized “other”
Charlie Chan, hatchet men
Generations and Acculturation
Questions to consider:
How is the community structured?
How is power distributed?
How are identities constructed inside and outside of the community?
-Where are cultural differences observed?

8. To Prepare for Next Session
Reading Notes on Hu-Dehart (2012) Chinatowns and Borderlands
Begin reading Bulosan for OBD