URBS 227 - Chinatowns

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as ASIA 227 and HIST 227) The course explores the layered histories of Chinatowns in the United States, as they have defined, reflected, and adapted to the changing experiences of Chinese Americans over the last century and a half. First constructed in the era of gold and railroads, Chinatowns have continually served as lively centers for trade, kinship, and transnational community. They have anchored political movements against anti-Chinese sentiment, as well as brought solace, from Chinese Exclusion to COVID-19. These ‘ethnic enclaves’ have been policed, destroyed, and developed according to the fears and fantasies of other Americans, who have imagined Chinatowns as thriving sites for vice, plague, and also tourism. Yet, many Chinese Americans-including women, mixed-race families, Christian converts, queer ‘bachelors,’ herbalists, and architects-led complicated lives that have continually challenged the cultural and physical boundaries of Chinatowns. With new waves of immigration and suburbanization, what even is a ‘Chinatown’ in the twenty-first century? We explore these layers through historical texts, maps, oral histories, film, fiction, and a visit to NYC Chinatown. Ashanti Shih.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS