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Description

As a result of shifts in historical methodologies, women’s history began to rise in prominence but only recently have historians shifted their focus to specific marginalized groups. Chinese women in Nevada at the turn of the 20th century are noteworthy due to their entrepreneurial successes in a time of rampant discrimination, yet have not been discussed in the literature as a collective. By analyzing the impacts of anti-Chinese legislation, public commentary in newspapers and political cartoons, and first-hand accounts of Chinese women from the region during the period this project develops an untold narrative. Secondary material provides further claims on the existence and significance of the female Chinese population in early Nevada. This project is based on the works of Sue Fawn Chung about the ethnic group in Nevada and in the West. Results show that the way in which Chinese women in Nevada occupied certain labor niches was due largely in part to the unique backdrop of the state’s policies towards aliens and the nature of Nevada’s economy. While most Chinese women are reduced to their roles as "working girls" in Nevada mining towns, there is evidence that they were actually successful, hard-working women despite the overwhelming historiography and primary source material that claims the contrary. These findings suggest that by studying the multiple facets of Chinese women's opportunities during this period there is value in identifying the gendered differences experienced by an immigrant group, labor being one of many lenses of which to investigate such important distinctions.

Publisher Location

Las Vegas (Nev.)

Publication Date

Fall 11-22-2024

Publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Keywords

Labor; Chinese Women; Early Nevada; Women's History; Labor History

Disciplines

Asian History | Labor History | United States History | Women's History

File Format

PDF

File Size

1020 KB

Comments

Mentor: Michelle Tusan

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Surviving and Thriving on the Gold-Capped Mountain; the Entrepreneurial Sucessess of Chinese Women in Early Nevada


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