Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in North America

Chinese diaspora archaeology in North America is at a tipping point. On one hand, archaeologists have collected tremendous amounts of data and made significant contributions to our understanding of Chinese immigrant life; on the other, the field remains slow to move past outdated approaches that rely on dichotomies of continuity and change that essentialize Chinese immigrants. This volume will challenge tired approaches and provide models for future work by bringing together chapters from scholars working on new and more nuanced approaches for interpreting Chinese diaspora archaeological sites in North America. Chapters will address the conceptualization of the field (as diaspora, in relation to Asian American studies, etc.), highlight the diversity of Chinese contexts in North America (urban and rural Chinatowns, mining communities, railroad camps, etc.), foregrounding the understudied aspects of Chinese migrant life (entrepreneurialism, cross–cultural interaction, creativity, etc.). Rather than being a report on the state of the field, our goal is that this volume will instead actualize change and shape the future direction of the sub–discipline, as well as bring Chinese diaspora archaeology into broader discussions about topics such as race and migration. "Showcasing the enormous amount of archaeological data available on the experiences of Chinese people who migrated to the United States and Canada in the nineteenth century, this volume charts new directions for the field of Chinese diaspora archaeology by providing fresh, more nuanced approaches to interpreting immigrant life"-- Contents: Charting a New Course for Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in North America / J. Ryan Kennedy and Chelsea Rose -- Reframing Overseas Chinese Archaeology as Archaeology of the Chinese Diaspora / Douglas E. Ross -- Toward Engaged and Critical Archaeologies of the Chinese Diaspora / Kelly N. Fong -- Exposing Negative Chinese Terminology and Stereotypes / Priscilla Wegars -- Interethnic Relationships in Nineteenth-Century Chinatowns: New Perspectives from Archaeological Research and Missionary Women's Writings / Barbara L. Voss -- An Archaeology of a Chinese Laundryman in the Jim Crow South: The Sam Long Laundry, New Orleans, Louisiana / D. Ryan Gray -- Burned: The Archaeology of House and Home in Jacksonville, Oregon's, Chinese Quarter / Chelsea Rose -- "Let My Body Be Buried Here": A Long View of Chinese Immigrants in the American West / Adrian Praetzellis and Mary Praetzellis -- Toward a Historical Archaeology of the Chinese in Montana and a Transnational Lens / Christopher Merritt -- Between South China and Southern California: The Formation of Transnational Chinese Communities / Laura W. Ng -- Meat Economies of the Chinese American West / Charlotte K. Sunseri -- Bounty from the Sea: Chinese Foundations of the Commercial Shrimp, Squid, and Abalone Fisheries in California / Linda Bentz and Todd J. Braje -- Flexible Plant Food Practices among the Nineteenth-Century Chinese Migrants to Western North America / Virginia S. Popper -- Multisited Networks: The Underlying Analytical Power of Transnational and Diasporic Approaches / Henry Yu Charting A New Course For Chinese Diaspora Archaeology In North America / J. Ryan Kennedy And Chelsea Rose -- Reframing Overseas Chinese Archaeology As Archaeology Of The Chinese Diaspora / Douglas E. Ross -- Toward Engaged And Critical Archaeologies Of The Chinese Diaspora / Kelly N. Fong -- Exposing Negative Chinese Terminology And Stereotypes / Priscilla Wegars -- Interethnic Relationships In Nineteenth-century Chinatowns: New Perspectives From Archaeological Research And Missionary Women's Writings / Barbara L. Voss -- An Archaeology Of A Chinese Laundryman In The Jim Crow South: The Sam Long Laundry, New Orleans, Louisiana / D. Ryan Gray -- Burned: The Archaeology Of House And Home In Jacksonville, Oregon's, Chinese Quarter / Chelsea Rose -- Let My Body Be Buried Here: A Long View Of Chinese Immigrants In The American West / Adrian Praetzellis And Mary Praetzellis -- Toward A Historical Archaeology Of The Chinese In Montana And A Transnational Lens / Christopher Merritt -- Between South China And Southern California: The Formation Of Transnational Chinese Communities / Laura W. Ng -- Meat Economies Of The Chinese American West / Charlotte K. Sunseri -- Bounty From The Sea: Chinese Foundations Of The Commercial Shrimp, Squid, And Abalone Fisheries In California / Linda Bentz And Todd J. Braje -- Flexible Plant Food Practices Among The Nineteenth-century Chinese Migrants To Western North America / Virginia S. Popper -- Multisited Networks: The Underlying Analytical Power Of Transnational And Diasporic Approaches / Henry Yu Edited By Chelsea Rose And J. Ryan Kennedy. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. Cover 1 Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in North America 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Figures 8 List of Tables 10 1. Charting a New Course for Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in North America 12 2. Reframing Overseas Chinese Archaeology as Archaeology of the Chinese Diaspora 46 3. Toward Engaged and Critical Archaeologies of the Chinese Diaspora 70 4. Exposing Negative Chinese Terminology and Stereotypes 94 5. Interethnic Relationships in Nineteenth-Century Chinatowns: New Perspectives from Archaeological Research and Missionary Women’s Writings 120 6. An Archaeology of a Chinese Laundryman in the Jim Crow South: The Sam Long Laundry, New Orleans, Louisiana 150 7. Burned: The Archaeology of House and Home in Jacksonville, Oregon’s, Chinese Quarter 174 8. “Let My Body Be Buried Here”: A Long View of Chinese Immigrants in the American West 199 9. Toward a Historical Archaeology of the Chinese in Montana and a Transnational Lens 220 10. Between South China and Southern California: The Formation of Transnational Chinese Communities 245 11. Meat Economies of the Chinese American West 261 12. Bounty from the Sea: Chinese Foundations of the Commercial Shrimp, Squid, and Abalone Fisheries in California 286 13. Flexible Plant Food Practices among the Nineteenth-Century Chinese Migrants to Western North America 317 14. Multisited Networks: The Underlying Analytical Power of Transnational and Diasporic Approaches 345 List of Contributors 362 Index 364 Archaeologists are increasingly interested in studying the experiences of Chinese immigrants, yet this area of research is mired in long-standing interpretive models that essentialize race and identity. Showcasing the enormous amount of data available on the lives of Chinese people who migrated to North America in the nineteenth century, this volume charts new directions by providing fresh approaches to interpreting immigrant life. In this volume, leading scholars first tackle broad questions of how best to position and understand these populations. They then delve into a variety of site-based and topical case studies, providing new approaches to themes like Chinese immigrant foodways and highlighting understudied topics including entrepreneurialism, cross-cultural interactions, and conditions in the Jim Crow South. Pushing back against old colonial-based tropes, contributors call for an awareness of the transnational relationships created through migration, engagement with broader archaeological and anthropological debates, and the expansion of research into new contexts and topics. Contributors: Linda Bentz | Todd J. Braje | Kelly N. Fong | D. Ryan Gray | J. Ryan Kennedy | Christopher Merritt | Laura W. | Virginia S. Popper | Adrian Praetzellis | Mary Praetzellis | Chelsea Rose | Douglas E. Ross | Charlotte K. Sunseri | Barbara L. Voss | Priscilla Wegars | Henry Yu Showcasing the enormous amount of data available on the lives of Chinese people who migrated to the United States and Canada in the nineteenth century, this volume charts new directions by providing fresh, more nuanced approaches to interpreting immigrant life.