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Chinese American Histories of the South Conference

            

Description:

Chinese communities have called the U.S. South home for over 150 years, but this rich history has often been marginalized within Asian American studies and Southern history. This two-day workshop  brings together scholars, students, educators, and community members to share strategies and highlight new and ongoing efforts to preserve this vital history. The first part of the workshop, held Friday afternoon, will highlight emerging research on Chinese communities in the South from the perspectives of history, anthropology, literary studies, and Asian American studies, while the second part, held Saturday, will showcase community archives and advocacy, and provide educators with resources for engaging this history within and beyond the classroom. 

REGISTRATION:

Registration is $30. Please Register by April 5th, 2024 using this link: Registration

HOTEL: A limited number of hotel rooms are reserved at Home2 Suites in Conway at a discount rate of $119/night. You may book them using this link: Home2 Suites Other rooms are available at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn, Days Inn, and Comfort Inn in Conway.

Questions? Please contact Dr. Zach Smith at zsmith@uca.edu

 

Friday, April 19 Stanley Russ Hall, room 103, UCA

Presentations highlighting new and emerging research on Chinese communities in Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Memphis, and New Orleans

2:00pm: Welcoming Remarks

  • Guo-ou Zhuang, Director of the UCA Center for Chinese Language and Culture

2:10pm – 3:15pm: New Research on Chinese History in the South

  • “New Voices, New Stories: Exploring Chinese American History in Arkansas”
    • Zach Smith, University of Central Arkansas
  •  “150 Years of Memphis Chinese History”
    • Emerald Dunn-Bahurlet, Chinese Historical Society of Memphis and the MidSouth
  • “Why Would an Ex-Governor Support Desegregation on Behalf of the Chinese Community in Jim Crow Mississippi? Earl Brewer and Gong Lum v Rice (1927)
    • Susan Brownell, University of Missouri at St Louis

3:15 – 3:30pm: Coffee Break

3:30pm – 4:45pm: New Research on Chinese History in the South

  • “Researching Chinese American History in New Orleans”
    • Winston Ho, The Historic New Orleans Collection
  •  “Forgotten Footprints: Uncovering the History of the Chinese Community in Alabama during the Early Twentieth Century”
    •  Di Luo, University of Alabama
  •  “Mapping Arkansas’ Historic Chinese Community”
    • Ling Zhang, University of Central Arkansas
  •  “VR or Storymap? Visualizing Chinese American Communities in Houston”
    • Melody Li, University of Houston

4:45pm – 5:30pm: Reception  (Dr. Phil Bailey, AVP for Global Learning and Engagement)

Stanley Russ Hall, Rm 108, UCA   Light hors d’oeuvres provided

5:30pm – 6:30pm: Keynote Lecture:  “Family History as American History”

Dr Madeline Hsu, Professor of History and Director of the Center for Global Migration Studies, University of Maryland

Saturday, April 20 

Integrated Health Sciences Building 227, UCA

9:30 am – 9:45 am: Welcome 

  • Zach Smith, Director of Arkansas ARNCTA

9:45 am – 10:15 am: “Artist-Historians: Non-traditional Methods of Stewarding Our Past Into the Future”

  • Anna Thandi Cai, Director of Bluff City Chinese (2024)

10:15 am- 10:45 am: “My Chinese American Story”

  •  Gilroy Chow, President of the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum

10:45 am – 11:00 am: Coffee Break

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Introducing the Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project

  • Zach Smith and UCA Students in HIST4344: Asian American History of the South

12:00pm – 1:00 pm: Luncheon Honoring the Chinese Association of Arkansas

Integrated Health Sciences Building Rm 245/246

 Teacher Education Workshop

Integrated Health Sciences, Room 227/228 UCA

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Strategies for Teaching Chinese American History in Arkansas

  • “Engaging Local Chinese American History”
    • Dr. Zach Smith (University of Central Arkansas): 
  • “Power of Place: Using GIS to Elevate Student Engagement”
    • Dr. Stephen O’Connel (University of Central Arkansas): 

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: New Approaches to Teaching Chinese Culture

  •  “The Evolving Role of Women in Imperial China”
    • Dr. Di Luo, University of Alabama
  • “The Olympic Games and China’s Rise”
    • Dr. Susan Brownell, University of Missouri at St. Louis
  •  “Cultural Mapping of American and Chinese Dreams through Chinese Diasporic Narratives”
    • Dr. Melody Li, University of Houston

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Reflection and Debrief