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 5 Session 2
Chinese Americans After 1942

2. 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

3. Today Discuss Hu-Dehart’s piece
Analyze terms from Kitano & Daniels on the Chinese American experience
Feedback on Reading Notes

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. Hu-Dehart’s “Chinatowns and Borderlands”
Some quick “take-aways”: Patterns in Asian immigration, settlement, and labor are rooted in colonization and neo-colonization / globalization. We need to be careful not to consider “experience” solely from a nation perspective.
Key Terms:
Ethnic enclaves
Garment industry
Chinatowns
Neo-colonization/Globalization
Borderlands
Colonization
Diaspora
Co-ethnic exploitation
Subcontracting

8. Kitano & Daniels, Ch. 4: Chinese After 1943
Paper Sons
Tiananmen Square demonstration
The Good Earth
World War II economy
FOBs and ABCs
Dr. Wen Ho Lee
Arrival of Chinese women
Cold War
Ping-Pong diplomacy
Hiram Fong
Levels of education
Model Minority
Immigration Act of 1965
The fall of Saigon

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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?

12. Pay attention to what you want to get from the text
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.

13. 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.