Key Concepts from Lecture on Chinese Immigration and Society

These flashcards summarize key concepts related to Chinese immigration, society, and the historical context discussed in the lecture.

Queer Domesticity

Alternative home lives and relationships that didn’t fit the white, heterosexual family model.
Connected to Shah: Chinese bachelors in Chinatown showed different ways of living that challenged white social norms.

Citizen-Subject

Someone expected to have equal rights and responsibilities in society, including political participation and access to resources.

Assimilation

The process of changing or giving up one’s original culture to fit into the dominant society.

Orientalism

The Western practice of portraying Asian cultures as exotic, backward, or dangerous to justify Western dominance.

Opium Dens

Places where people, including Chinese immigrants, smoked opium, often exaggerated in danger by journalists.

Sanitized Exoticism

The transformation of Chinatown from a perceived dirty area to a safe, attractive tourist destination.

Chinese Laundries

Visible signs of Chinese presence that faced targeted health regulations to limit their economic success.

Angel Island

The main entry point for Asian immigrants to San Francisco, known for harsh medical exams and detentions.

YMCA

A Christian reform organization promoting moral discipline and hygiene among young immigrant men.

Racialization

The process of categorizing people based on perceived physical and cultural traits, creating hierarchies favoring certain groups.

Normativity

What is considered standard, normal, or correct in a society, often enforced through public health and social policies.

Eugenics

A movement to improve populations by controlling reproduction, often targeting minorities.

The Cable Act

A 1922 law that stripped American women of citizenship if they married Asian men.

Nuisance Laws

Laws that allowed authorities to regulate or remove people or places deemed harmful to public welfare.

Migration Waves

Phases of immigration, notably the first wave (1840s-1882) and the second wave (1965-present), affected by exclusion laws.

Silk Road

A network of trade routes connecting Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia, facilitating cultural exchanges.

Galleon Trade

A trade route connecting the Philippines and Mexico, moving Asian goods under Spanish rule.

Yellow Peril

A racist idea portraying Asians as dangerous and a threat to Western society.

Tacoma Expulsion

The violent removal of the Chinese community from Tacoma, Washington in 1885 as part of anti-Chinese actions.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A law that banned Chinese immigration to the U.S. and denied citizenship to Chinese immigrants.

Alien Land Laws

Laws preventing Asian immigrants from owning land in various states to limit their economic opportunities.

National Origins Act

A 1924 act that set strict immigration quotas based on national origin, effectively banning most Asian immigration.

Rock Springs Massacre

A violent attack where white miners killed Chinese miners in Wyoming, reflecting anti-Chinese sentiment.

Picture Brides

Women who immigrated to the U.S. to marry men they had only seen in photographs, often due to exclusion laws.

Well-Babies

Contests that judged infants on health and appearance, promoting eugenic ideals.

Trachoma

A contagious eye disease used as a reason to deny immigrants entry at Angel Island.

Hookworm

A parasitic infection that was commonly grounds for excluding immigrants during medical inspections.

The Gentleman’s Agreement

An informal agreement between the U.S. and Japan in 1907 to limit Japanese emigration to the U.S.

Containment

Efforts to restrict or control the movement and influence of certain groups, like confining Chinese immigrants.