Writing Inequality, Endurance, and Transnationalism: The Archaeology of Chinese and Japanese Immigrants and their Descendants in North America

This session brings together archaeologists investigating Chinese and Japanese American/Canadian experiences in the late 19th and early- to mid-20th century North America. Rather than focus on either group, we touch upon a range of research so as to map the diversity of archaeological thought. Presenters will share research goals, theoretical and methodological concepts, and/or outreach and collaborative practices used to investigate everything from railroad workers to racial exclusion. Through this symposium, we will address three questions: What has been done thus far? What and where are the theoretical and topical convergences and divergences? And where do we go from here? In addressing this topic in such a broad manner, we hope to create the kind of disciplinary networks and dialogue necessary to critically and self-reflexively engage in the writing of Chinese and Japanese American/Canadian history in North America.