The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act

by Catherine Clément

Genres: History, Canada, Asian Literature

256 pages, Library Binding

Published June 30, 2025

About the author

Catherine Clément (born February 10, 1939) is a prominent French philosopher, novelist, feminist, and literary critic. She received a degree in philosophy from the prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure, and studied under such luminaries as Claude Lévi-Strauss and Jacques Lacan, working in the fields of anthropology and psychoanalysis. A member of the school of French feminism, she has published books with writers Hélène Cixous and Julia Kristeva.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherin...

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought me to tears. Thank you, Catherine for your dedication to give space for individual stories from/after the exclusion period. This book is a beautiful and heartbreaking collection of community memory. The Paper Trail exhibit sparked my initial interest in my family’s story and I suspect this book will have similar impacts on the Chinese Canadian community.

[Brenda van E · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Paper Trail Exhibition/project changed my life. I learned about a shameful part of Canadian history and the origin story of many Chinese Canadians including my ancestors.

Catherine Clement’s passion and heart gently led us through a forgotten part of our recent past. With her guidance and further research into my family’s stories I was able to reconnect to my grandparents and parents and an unknown missing part of myself. The Paper Trail book is a lasting tangible part of the project that will become a cherished family treasure.

Definitely buy a copy before it sells out…

[JoJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So human and heartbreaking and illuminating and necessary—I’m glad this research and record of this period of time and its legacy exists in this book

[Fred Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that illustrates the impact of this dark period in Canadian history. Thanks to Catherine Clement for her dedication and perseverance with “The Paper Trail” project.