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Chinese Masculinities and Material Culture

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Abstract

Most Overseas Chinese living in the United States during the 19th century were men. Correspondingly, the archaeology of Overseas Chinese communities in the United States is primarily the archaeology of Chinese men: their behaviors, dispositions, activities, and identities. Despite this acknowledged focus, masculinity is rarely an explicit object of study in Overseas Chinese archaeology. Drawing from methods and theories in archaeology, cultural anthropology, history, and Asian American studies, a framework for the archaeological investigation of masculinities at Overseas Chinese communities is developed. This framework is used to describe how material culture from the Market Street Chinatown in San Jose, California, was interpolated in multiple hegemonic discourses of masculinity.

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Williams, B. Chinese Masculinities and Material Culture. Hist Arch 42, 53–67 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03377099

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