New and Innovative Approaches to Overseas Chinese Archaeology

In the last half of the nineteenth century nearly 400,000 peopleemigrated from Southern China to the United States. Upon arriving inthe country these "Overseas Chinese" individuals lived and worked inmyriad places, from the bustling streets of large, urban Chinatowns tosparsely populated rural railroad and mining camps. While there is nosingle Overseas Chinese narrative the efforts of these individuals hasleft lasting marks including large and small Chinatown communities,the expansion of industries such as agriculture and mining, and eventhe completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. This session explores the material traces of the Overseas Chinese who came to the United States in the nineteenth century. Rather thanfocusing on a particular aspect of life or region of the country, thissession instead draws its strength by highlighting the diversity ingeographic location, community scale, and daily practices experiencedby Chinese people in the United States. Paper topics include in-depthsingle-site analyses, broad surveys of related sites such as railroadcamps, thematic inquiries along lines such as health and diet, andnovel theoretical and methodological strategies for Overseas Chinesearchaeology.