Author: Xiaojian Zhao

Publication: Rutgers University Press

Year: 2002

Call Number: E 184.C5 Z63r

Introduction: In Remaking Chinese America, Xiaojian Zhao explores the myriad forces that changed and unified Chinese Americans during a key period in American history. Prior to 1940, this immigrant community was predominantly made, but between 1940 and 1965 it was transformed into a family-centered American ethnic community. Zhao pays special attention to forces both inside and outside of the country in order to explain these changing demographics. Careful attention is paid to evolving gender roles, since women constituted the majority of newcomers, significatnly changing the sex ratio of the Chinese American population. In defining the political circumstances that brought the Chinese together as a cohesive political body, Zhao delves into the complexities they faced when questioning their personal national allegiances during World War II and the Communist takeover of mainland China. Remaking Chinese America uses a wealth of primary sources, including oral histories, newspapers, genealogical documents, and immigration files to illuminate what it was like to be Chinese living in the United States during a period that – unti now – has been little studied.