CSER’s Co-Director Mae Ngai’s Wins Bancroft Prize – considered one of the most prestigious in the field of American history. Her book “The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics,” published by W.W. Norton, was praised by the jury as “an extraordinary book” that “brilliantly shows us how much of the white Anglo-American world came to view the Chinese as a racially unassimilable and threatening people.

The Bancroft, which includes an award of $10,000, was established in 1948 by the trustees of Columbia University, with a bequest from the historian Frederic Bancroft. Books are evaluated for “the scope, significance, depth of research, and richness of interpretation.”

Deborah Paredez’s book “Year of the Dog” was featured in Columbia Recommended Reading in “9 Books by Columbia, Barnard Faculty That Are Perfect for Women’s History Month”

Mae Ngai’s The Chinese Question is a finalist for the LA Times book award in History. Ngai also gave virtual book talks at the Chinese American Museum on Feb. 17 and at Stanford University on Feb. 23, and the annual Neil Gotanda Lecture at Berkeley Law on Feb. 24.

Among the handful of young Asian American authors that Gish Jen is reading, this is who she recommends. Her current recommendation includes “The Evening Hero” by Marie Myung-Ok Lee—a page-turning novel following a Korean immigrant pursuing the American dream.

Julian Brave NoiseCat has been awarded the 2022 American Mosaic Journalism Prize for his work reporting on underrepresented or misrepresented groups in the United States.

“If the Supreme Court decides to end affirmative action … [t]he result will be institutions that are less representative, less intellectually stimulating, and less equipped to serve an increasingly diverse America.”

A new Editor’s Blog post on Science by Jennifer Lee.

CSER Professor Marie Myung-Ok Lee had an appearance on CNN’s podcast. Listen at the attached link.

Between 1848 and 1899, thousands of Chinese labourers travelled the West in search of Gold. Friction between Chinese and white settlers on the goldfields of California, Australia, and South Africa catalysed a global battle over “the Chinese Question”, that would shape economics and politics to today.

Mae Ngai is Lung Family Professor Asian American Studies and a professor of history at Columbia University. Her book The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics is published by W.W Norton.

Mae Ngai spoke at an event on the Global Histories of White Supremacy at the Lepage Center for History and the Public Interest at Villanova University on Oct. 27.

Mae Ngai was in conversation with Jia Ling Yang on October 19 at a virtual event cosponsored by the Brooklyn Book Festival, the Boston Public Library, State Library of Massachusetts, New England Historic Genealogy, and GBH Forum Network.

Greg Jenner, comedian Desiree Burch and Prof Shana L. Redmond from Columbia University discuss the astonishing life and legacy of Paul Robeson: the epitome of the American Renaissance man. Famous for his unparalleled bass-baritone voice and relentless struggle for civil rights, Robeson was an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, scholar and civil rights activist who the American government persecuted during the McCarthy era.

“WE’VE ALWAYS HAD ACTIVISTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES” With her focus on the 19th century, Ngai uncovers the coolie myth’s origins, hoping to address its current forms and, ultimately, dismantle it. After a decade of research and writing, she published The Chinese Question. The following interview is an edited conversation she and Public Books had over Zoom about her life and latest work.