Between Continents, Between Cities: Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in Stanford, California

Summary

Archaeology of the nineteenth century Chinese diaspora in the western United States has revealed networks of travel and trade between urban centers and rural living sites on both sides of the Pacific. Examining sites located between urban and rural settings highlights the frequent trade and travel made by individuals between dispersed communities. A combination of oral history and archaeology uncovers the ties between a late nineteenth-century Chinese community at Stanford, California, to Chinatowns in San Francisco and San Jose, as well as the international connections of trade and family in multiple countries. It also reveals the flexibility and entrepreneurship of individuals experiencing the era of Chinese exclusion in the United States. The traces of their movements and many ways of working become stronger identifiers than any single location or vocation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies of Diaspora and Dispersal   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 786