The Columbia Guide to Asian American History

Columbia Guides to American History and Cultures

by Gary Y. Okihiro

Offering a rich and insightful road map of Asian American history as it has evolved over more than 200 years, this book marks the first systematic attempt to take stock of this field of study. It examines, comments, and questions the changing assumptions and contexts underlying the experiences and contributions of an incredibly diverse population of Americans. Arriving and settling in this nation as early as the 1790s, with American-born generations stretching back more than a century, Asian Americans have become an integral part of the American experience; this cleverly organized book marks the trajectory of that journey, offering researchers invaluable information and interpretation.

• Part 1 offers a synoptic narrative history, a chronology, and a set of periodizations that reflect different ways of constructing the Asian American past.

• Part 2 presents lucid discussions of historical debates―such as interpreting the anti-Chinese movement of the late 1800s and the underlying causes of Japanese American internment during World War II―and such emerging themes as transnationalism and women and gender issues.

• Part 3 contains a historiographical essay and a wide-ranging compilation of book, film, and electronic resources for further study of core themes and groups, including Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, and others.

Genres: History

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2001

Reviews

[Sam]

Gary Y. Okihiro writes a guide for (primarily book-based) research into pre-2001 Asian American history research. This book is divided into 5 sections: narrative history; historical debates; emerging themes; chronology; historiography and resources. This book is a helpful resource for new scholars to survey books and research trends in pre-2001 Asian American history research. However, as a single-author volume, the bibliographical selection and the book's organization is subject to the author's scholarly opinions. For example, the resources section separates publications into the author's interpretations of "Anti-Asianists", "Liberals", and "Asian Americanists". These decisions risk the impression that the book is more "the author's guide" than a more intentionally neutral "publisher's guide" to reference sources. While experienced researchers may not appreciate some of the author's interpretive liberties in bibliographical recommendations and summaries, for readers seeking a scholarly survey of pre-2001 book publications on Asian American history, this guide should be a helpful start.