ABSTRACT
Produced by and productive of historical moments, literature often offers us an introspective view of a past and a prophetic projection into a future. Chinese American literature’s incorporation of US immigration laws draws our attention to the fact that discriminatory legislation structured the imagination of many Chinese American writers. Their writings not only serve as a voice of protest but also help raise the political consciousness of Chinese American communities. During the early years, this body of literature mobilized Chinese American activism in challenging the legality of these laws in the courts, and in recent decades, it has nurtured a Chinese American historical consciousness. Although it is difficult to empirically prove that Chinese American literature has had a direct influence on Chinese American activism against US discriminatory laws, it is irrefutable that literary depictions of injustices, of resistance to and subversion of these injustices have partly constituted the cultural milieux in Chinese American communities, cultural milieux in which challenges to legalized racism have been organized and executed. In order to illustrate the relationship between Chinese American literature and US immigration laws, I need to first introduce some of the legislation.
