The archaeology of Overseas Chinese communities

Abstract

Archaeological research on Overseas Chinese communities has expanded rapidly during the last twenty years, yet the subfield still remains marginal within historical archaeology as a whole. This article argues that a dominance of acculturation theories and methodologies has contributed to this marginal position. Further, a persistent research focus on the ethnic boundary between Chinese and non-Chinese and the portrayal of Overseas Chinese communities as resolutely traditional have curtailed the range of research topics investigated at Overseas Chinese sites. Community-focused collaborative research on the Market Street Chinatown in San José, California, provides an alternative perspective. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that the community's residents did not always experience their lives through oppositions between East and West or between tradition and modernity. By embracing a broader research agenda, investigations of Overseas Chinese communities can make significant contributions to archaeological studies of race, ethnicity, gender, immigration, labor and social inequality.