Asian Americans: An Interpretive History

by Sucheng Chan

Sucheng Chan incisively examines the Asian American experience, weaving together the stories of Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Asian Indian ancestry from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Chan includes an account of the influx of a million refugees and immigrants from Vietnam, Laos, and Kampuchea [sic] since 1975.

Economic survival, community structure, resistance to oppression, family formation, internment and military service during World War II, changing socio-economic status, educational achievements, political activities, and cultural expressions are all deftly analyzed.

"Employing a highly useful and imaginative comparative approach to the complex and heterogeneous history of Asians in the United States, Chan has produced a major interpretation of Asian American history that will serve as a model for historians of American ethnicity." -- Mario T. Garcia

[Twayne's Immigrant Heritage of America series presents concise histories of individual ethnic groups and their impact on American life and culture. With comprehensive examinations of the immigrant experience, it serves as a resource for both young students and experienced researchers. Each book in the series is written by a qualified scholar and includes notes, references, a selected bibliography and a complete index.]

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asian Literature, Reference, Race, Asian American, School

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Sucheng Chan is a Chinese-American historian, scholar, and author, recognized for her contributions to Asian American Studies. She was the first to establish a full-fledged autonomous Department of Asian American Studies at a major U.S. research university and became the first Asian American woman to hold the title of provost in the University of California system.
Born in Shanghai in 1941, Chan and her family moved to Hong Kong in 1949, Malaysia in 1950, and later to the United States in 1957. She earned a BA in Economics from Swarthmore College (1963), an MA in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi (1965), and a PhD in Political Science from UC Berkeley (1973).
Chan taught at several UC campuses, including Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. She retired due to post-polio syndrome but continued to contribute to the field, donating her extensive collection of research materials to academic institutions. She has authored and edited numerous books on Asian American history, immigration, and race relations, including This Bittersweet Soil: The Chinese in California Agriculture, 1860–1910 (1986) and Entry Denied: Exclusion and the Chinese Community in America, 1882–1943 (1991).
Throughout her career, Chan received numerous accolades, including the Guggenheim Fellowship (1988), multiple Outstanding Book Awards from the Association for Asian American Studies, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the same organization in 1997. She is married to Mark Juergensmeyer, a scholar of religion and global studies.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the single most referenced Asian American history book I've ever seen; this book is probably the gold standard. It has an extremely useful timeline at the end that I've used multiple times in classes. Sadly though, I can't remember too much of the specifics because I tend to be bad at recalling exact dates.

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time this scholarly work was published, it provided persuasive proof that Asian students were often overlooked when their vocabulary and other verbal skills were not up to par, because they tended to cooperate with teachers. If the squeaky wheel gets the grease, then Asian students were seldom going to get their needs met.

Not intended for popular reading purposes, this book is carefully constructed and documented, not a single leak in the boat. And today, it lacks only one thing that is badly needed: updating.

One passage that I highlighted back when I was working on my thesis states that Asians are most likely the demographic that is increasing at the highest rate. When this was published in the 1990's, I think that statement was true. It isn't now, though. Things change, and they change fast. Almost twenty years have passed since it hit the shelves, and it is no longer a reliable source of contemporary information.

Chen's scholarship is unquestionably strong, and information gleaned that it specific to a particular point in history will still be worthwhile to the researcher. Nicely done.

[Jessica (JT) Thelen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I think I will also be using this for my speciality exams, not just quals.

[Thomas Ray]

E184 O6 C47 1991
College Library & Historical Society Library

[claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

the writing gets dry at times like a history book, but it's an academic book so what do you expect. very informative and well-written; read for intro to asian american history class.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting account of the history of Asian immigrants in America. I greatly enjoyed learning more, but the writing style is much like a history textbook, so it did get kinda boring at times.

[May Ling]

Read this in my Asian American Studies class. Asians have been in America since the 1800s but are really not mentioned in history. This leads to a unique set of problems. A worthy read for those trying to understand the quilt of America.

[Rinda Rinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I said Takaki's "Stranger's From A Different Shore" was THE book to read on Asian American history. This one goes hand in hand with Takaki's book. A great read.