The Impact of the Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. on the American View of China

Jan Misiuna

doi:10.18778/1641-4233.22.10

Authors

Jan Misiuna Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of Socio-Economics, Department of Political Studies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1641-4233.22.10

Keywords:

Chinese Americans, immigration, Model Minority, Yellow Peril, immigration law

Abstract

The first Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States in the 1820s and initially their presence did not result in improving the American perception of China. On the contrary – intense immigration from China led to the development of racist and xenophobic attitudes towards the Chinese (Yellow Peril), which culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. During the Second World War, China became an important ally of the United States, which triggered a succession of changes to laws barring Chinese immigration (Magnuson Act). Contemporary Chinese Americans – particularly Taiwanese Americans – can be located in the upper spheres of immigrant population: they are considered to be a well-educated and affluent group. This paper presents the historical and contemporary socio-economic characteristics of the Sino-American population set against a historical and legal background.

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Author Biography

Jan Misiuna, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of Socio-Economics, Department of Political Studies

Jan Misiuna is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Studies, Collegium of Socio-Economics, Warsaw School of Economics. He holds Master’s degrees in Political Science and American Studies from the University of Warsaw and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics. His research interests include international migrations, United States election campaigns and campaign finances. His most recent publication is Money and Election Campaigns in the United States (Pieniądze i kampanie wyborcze w Stanach Zjednoczonych, Oficyna Wydawnicza SGH, Warszawa 2016).

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