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Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity, and Survival in Boston's Chinatown, 1880–2018
Chinatown has a long history in Boston. Though little documented, it represents the city's most sustained neighborhood effort to survive during eras of hostility and urban transformation. It has been wounded and transformed, slowly ceding ground; at the same time, its residents and organizations have gained a more prominent voice over their community's fate.
In writing about Boston Chinatown's long history, Michael Liu, a lifelong activist and scholar of the community, charts its journey and efforts for survival―from its emergence during a time of immigration and deep xenophobia to the highway construction and urban renewal projects that threatened the neighborhood after World War II to its more recent efforts to keep commercial developers at bay. At the ground level, Liu depicts its people, organizations, internal battles, and varied and complex strategies against land-taking by outside institutions and public authorities. The documented courage, resilience, and ingenuity of this low-income immigrant neighborhood of color have earned it a place amongst our urban narratives. Chinatown has much to teach us about neighborhood agency, the power of organizing, and the prospects of such neighborhoods in rapidly growing and changing cities.
In writing about Boston Chinatown's long history, Michael Liu, a lifelong activist and scholar of the community, charts its journey and efforts for survival―from its emergence during a time of immigration and deep xenophobia to the highway construction and urban renewal projects that threatened the neighborhood after World War II to its more recent efforts to keep commercial developers at bay. At the ground level, Liu depicts its people, organizations, internal battles, and varied and complex strategies against land-taking by outside institutions and public authorities. The documented courage, resilience, and ingenuity of this low-income immigrant neighborhood of color have earned it a place amongst our urban narratives. Chinatown has much to teach us about neighborhood agency, the power of organizing, and the prospects of such neighborhoods in rapidly growing and changing cities.
- GenresLocal History
224 pages, Paperback
Published December 18, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 24, 2021
Michael Liu makes a compelling case for why Chinatown deserves to have its history known and preserved, and he writes a book that does it. Liu contextualizes Chinatown in a broader history (global, national, and local) and describes how the residents & other folks who are connected with Chinatown have played an increasingly active role in determining its history.
Through this history, I very much feel how Chinatown's past, present, and future have been strongly contested by many groups and forces. In his writing and his own activist work, Michael Liu shows that history is just not something that happens to a place - it's something that residents and laypeople can have an active role in shaping.
Through this history, I very much feel how Chinatown's past, present, and future have been strongly contested by many groups and forces. In his writing and his own activist work, Michael Liu shows that history is just not something that happens to a place - it's something that residents and laypeople can have an active role in shaping.
April 24, 2021
Super thorough, readable, and detailed history of Chinatown and its organizing/political history. Really valuable documentation of what's been happening in struggles for working class immigrants and their ability to survive and thrive in a place that continues to try to push them out for capitalist incentives.
June 17, 2022
Such a good way of learning about the history of a community I'm just entering into. It's also a huge honor to know that I work closely with some of the orgs and people highlighted in this book! A must-read for non-Chinatown residents looking to be a part of the community activism and mobilization!
August 14, 2023
Very interesting! Thoroughly researched and cited history of the neighborhood, authentic voice of the community, nice pacing and phrasing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews