Rural Chinatowns and Hidden Sites

Chinese communities have called the U.S. South and Midwest home for over 150 years, but much of this history has been left out of mainstream Asian American narratives. This two-day workshop brings together scholars, students, educators, and community members to share strategies and highlight new and ongoing efforts to preserve and showcase this vital chapter of Chinese American history. A Comprehensive Approach to Sharing: This dynamic conference will include on-site paper sessions, roundtable discussions, film screenings, workshops, and community storytelling opportunities. The second day of the conference includes a day-long tour of the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum in Cleveland, Mississippi, as well as optional tours of historic Chinese Cemeteries in the South. 

Conference Themes: The conference planning team invites proposals related to the following themes but will review proposals related to other topics as long as they reflect the overall goals of the conference. 

1. Networks and Belonging: How did Chinese communities build and maintain social networks beyond the urban Chinatowns of the East and West Coast? How did they establish a sense of belonging within the diverse communities of the South and Midwest? 

2. Religions and Racial Identity: Race and Religion have long defined the social and cultural landscape of the South – how did Chinese communities navigate these often rigid social and cultural boundaries? 

3. Gender and Family: What role did women and mothers place in Chinese communities in the South and Midwest? How did families maintain transpacific family ties? 

4. Gateways to the South: St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans served as entry points and hubs of community activity in the region. How do histories of Chinese communities in these cities differ from other major Chinatowns? 

5. Digital Humanities and Historic Preservation: Many of the buildings, businesses, and neighborhoods central to Chinese American livelihoods in the South and Midwest are now gone. How are scholars and communities working to preserve history in danger of being lost? What stories do Chinese cemeteries tell? 

6. Personal Reflections: Chinese American community members are invited to share family histories of life in the South and Midwest to support ongoing community archiving efforts.