Comparative Studies 241

Prof. J. Wu and Steve Yao

Lecture 3 Outline

International Context for Migration

  1. Introduction

  1. Asian immigration to the United States part of a larger global pattern of migration

430,000 Chinese immigrants

380,000 Japanese immigrants

150,000-180,000 Pilipino immigrants

7-8,000 Korean immigrants

6-7,000 South Asian immigrants

just over 1 million Asian immigrants

just under 1 million immigrants from Latin America

over 35 million European immigrants between 1850-1930

Discussion (divide into 5 groups)

A. Each group will be assigned to report on a particular Asian immigrant group (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Pilipino, and Indian). Discuss these questions for about 10 minutes and then present your answers to the class. Everyone in the group must participate in the class presentation, which should last between 5-10 minutes. We encourage you to be creative in your presentations (skits, debates, etc.)

  1. Who are the immigrants? (background, education, gender, religion, etc.) How many immigrated?

2. What motivated them to immigrate? When did they immigrate?

3. How did they come to the United States? (credit ticket system, contract labor, government sponsorship, marriage, etc.) Was the U.S. their first stop?

4. How did their destination (e.g. Hawaii versus mainland) shape their immigration experience?

Further Discussion:
  1. What was similar or different about the experiences of your group of immigrants compared to other Asian immigrants?

2. How do Asian immigrant experiences differ from European experiences?

3. Do the immigrant experiences of Asians support the concept of a pan-ethnic identity? Why or why not?

 

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