Conventionally, US immigration history has been understood through the lens of restriction and those who have been barred from getting in. In contrast, The Good Immigrants considers immigration from the perspective of Chinese elites--intellectuals, businessmen, and students--who gained entrance because of immigration exemptions. Exploring a century of Chinese migrations, Madeline Hsu looks at how the model minority characteristics of many Asian Americans resulted from US policies that screened for those with the highest credentials in the most employable fields, enhancing American economic competitiveness. The earliest US immigration restrictions targeted Chinese people but exempted students as well as individuals who might extend America's influence in China. Western-educated Chinese such as Madame Chiang Kai-shek became symbols of the US impact on China, even as they patriotically advocated for China's modernization. World War II and the rise of communism transformed Chinese students abroad into refugees, and the Cold War magnified the importance of their talent and training. As a result, Congress legislated piecemeal legal measures to enable Chinese of good standing with professional skills to become citizens. Pressures mounted to reform American discriminatory immigration laws, culminating with the 1965 Immigration Act. Filled with narratives featuring such renowned Chinese immigrants as I. M. Pei, The Good Immigrants examines the shifts in immigration laws and perceptions of cultural traits that enabled Asians to remain in the United States as exemplary, productive Americans.

About the Author
Madeline Y. Hsu is associate professor of history and past director of the Center for Asian American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her books include Dreaming of Gold, Dreaming of Home and the coedited anthology Chinese Americans and the Politics of Race and Culture.

Reviews
Winner of the 2017 Association for Asian American Studies Award for Best Book in History Winner of the 2016 Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Winner of the 2015 Douglass C. North Research Award, Society for Institutional and Organizational Economics (SIOE) Runner-up for the 2016 Hamilton Book Awards, University Co-operative Society, University of Texas at Austin Winner of the 2015 Theodore Saloutos Memorial Book Award, Immigration and Ethnic History Society Honor Book, 2015 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association "Hsu's well-researched study focuses on the ways in which certain categories of the same ethnic group were designated as exempt and thus permitted admission... A worthy read, as it fills a gap in our understanding of the history of U.S. immigration policy and the implications of this policy in educational history."--Eileen H. Tamura, History of Education Quarterly "This book will ... provide relevant historical context for anybody formulating ideas about Europe's current debate on migration and asylum-seeking."--Charlotte De Blois, Asian Affairs "The Good Immigrants provides much insight on a variety of topics. Those who want to learn more about US immigration policies, cultural relations between the US and China during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Chinese refugees during the 1940s to 1960s, and Chinese transpacific migration will not want to miss it."--Chi-ting Peng, Pacific Affairs



Book Information
ISBN 9780691176215
Author Madeline Y. Hsu
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 539g