Masons, Scouts, and Legionnaires: Voluntary Associations and the Surprising Histories of Chinese American Civil Society, 1864–1965

This talk presents three case studies of Chinese American voluntary associations between 1864 and 1965: the Chinese Freemasons (also known as the Zhigongtang), the Boy Scouts of America, and the American Legion. Because their public meanings were always open to manipulation and interpretation, these groups often became sites for contests over the community’s internal boundaries, as well as vehicles for transnational agendas that did not always align with the objectives of their respective national headquarters. Taken together, the surprising histories of Chinese Masons, Scouts, and Legionnaires in the United States tell of a “shadow civil society” that formed as a result of exclusion, but that evolved to become one of its most effective and visible challengers.

Ian Shin is C3-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in History at Bates College, where he teaches courses on the history of U.S.-China relations, immigration, Asian American history, and American empire. Ian is currently at work on a book manuscript that explores how Chinese art in the United States emerged in the early twentieth century through a contested process of knowledge production, and analyzes its significance for questions of U.S. imperialism and exceptionalism during this period. He received his Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. from Columbia University, and his A.B. from Amherst College. In fall 2018, Ian will begin an appointment as assistant professor of American Culture and History at the University of Michigan.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.