INDEX

The Accidental Asian (Liu), 1, 5, 10–11, 12–13, 15–16

African Americans: citizenship and, 24, 27, 59; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 127; Medal of Liberty for, 149, 151; modeling and, 149, 150, 151; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 119–120, 121, 122; naturalization and, 24, 26, 27, 187n6; whiteness and, 121, 122, 150

Ah Yup, 23, 26–28

alienation: Asian Americans and, 177–184; in Children of the Ghetto (Zangwill), 68; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 55, 56, 75, 80, 81, 83; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 128; Jewish Americans and, 177–184; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 128, 141, 144–145, 146; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 60, 62–63; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 119; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 177–184; in Roughing It (Twain), 39; in “Snow” (Butler), 3, 5; in “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese” (Eaton), 36–37

allegiances: Asian Americans and, 26, 116, 117, 159, 162, 170–171; assimilation and, 57; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 75, 81; identity and, 116, 117; immigration policy and, 170–171; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xiv, xv; Jewish Americans and, 54–55, 116, 117, 162; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 54–55, 58, 61, 63–68; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 116, 117; naturalization and, 4–5, 6, 7–8, 26, 63–68, 159, 167; oaths of, 4–5, 6, 26, 65, 67, 71, 78, 94–95, 96, 167–168, 170–171; in The Promised Land (Antin), 89, 92, 94–97, 98, 99; religion and, 116, 117; USA PATRIOT Act and, 170–171; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 45. See also patriotism

Antin, Mary: Chertoff and Dinh compared with, 162; Hammad compared with, 175; Hoffman compared with, 145; Jen compared with, 105, 106, 107, 109, 112, 115, 122; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 123, 125; The Promised Land, 89–90, 92–101, 102; They Who Knock at Our Gates, 86; Zangwill compared with, 69

anti-Semitism: in American Civil War, 22–23; Chertoff and, 161; citizenship and, 161; in “Concerning the Jews” (Twain), 40–41; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 92; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 142; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 61, 66, 68; in The Promised Land (Antin), 98, 99; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 44

Arab Americans, 164–165, 166, 174–175

Asian Americans: in The Accidental Asian (Liu), 1, 5, 10–11, 12–13, 15–16; alienation and, 177–184; allegiances and, 26, 116, 117, 159, 162, 170–171; assimilation and, 158–160, 162, 195n34; citizenship and, 23, 24–28, 114–116, 132, 133, 137–138, 157, 158–160, 170–171, 172–174; cold war and, 103; democracy and, 71; discrimination and, 14–15; economy and, 21, 26, 28, 163; education and, 108, 154–155; employment and, 36–37, 39, 154; family and, 31–33, 107, 112, 113, 118–119, 158, 159, 160, 195n34; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 55, 56, 74–75, 76–85; in The Flower Drum Song (Rodgers and Hammerstein), 75–76, 84; food and, 110–111; in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 5; holidays and, 110–111, 119; identity and, 16, 32–33, 79, 107–108, 109–110, 113–122, 129–132, 138; immigration and, 74–75, 76–85, 104–105, 114–115, 124, 126, 154–155, 156–157, 158–160, 178–179; immigration policy and, 28, 29–33, 103, 104–105, 166–167, 177–179, 184; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 29–33; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 129–138; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xiii–xiv, xv–xvi; language and, 107, 154; literacy and, 119; Medal of Liberty for, 149, 151; modeling and, 10, 12–16, 31, 39, 51, 56, 74, 79, 84, 112–113, 119, 122, 135–136, 137, 138, 149, 150, 151, 154–163, 173, 177, 178, 181, 184; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 106–122; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 177–184; nationhood and, 184; naturalization and, 6–8, 9–13, 23, 24–28, 29, 32–33, 35–38, 55, 73, 76–85, 117–118, 130–132, 133–138, 155, 157, 158–160, 162, 205n43; as perpetual foreigners, 181, 184; personhood and, 26–27, 39, 41; as refugees, 55, 159, 162; religion and, 113–122; Second World War and, 165, 170–171, 172–174; selfhood and, 21–22, 25, 27, 28, 32, 41, 75, 173, 184; statelessness and, 74–75, 132, 133, 157; in “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese” (Eaton), 33–38; in “Success Story, Japanese-American Style” (Petersen), 14–15; in “Success Story of One Model Minority Group in the U.S.,” 13–14; suffering by, 163; testimony by, 20–23; transnationalism and, 154, 156–157, 158–160; in Typical American (Jen), 106; violence and, 181–182; War on Terror and, 164–165, 166; whiteness and, 10–12, 20–23, 24–28, 31–32, 36–37, 113, 114, 121, 150, 159, 166–167, 178, 180–181, 181–182, 183–184; writing and, 119

assimilation: Asian Americans and, 158–160, 162, 195n34; benevolent, 52–55, 56–60, 62, 71, 73, 85, 158–160; bodies and, xviii–xix, 18–19, 25, 53, 57, 59, 62, 64, 105, 119, 126; of Chertoff, 161, 162; of Dinh, 158–160, 162; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 53–54, 56, 74, 85; in The Flower Drum Song (Rodgers and Hammerstein), 84; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 90–92; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 129, 130, 135, 136; Jewish Americans and, 54–55, 161, 162; language and, 141; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 141, 143, 145, 146; as melting pot, 58–60, 61, 66–67, 70, 73, 90–92; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 53–55, 60–71; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 105, 111, 113, 119; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 182–183; nationhood and, 71, 90–92; in The Promised Land (Antin), 88–89, 92, 94, 97, 100; refugees and, 18–19

Cahan, Abraham: Antin compared with, 100; Chertoff and Dinh compared with, 162; Hammad compared with, 175; The Rise of David Levinsky, 50–51, 82; Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto, 23, 38, 41–51

character, 4–5, 6, 8, 9

Chertoff, Michael, 152, 160–163, 168–172

China, 71–72, 80, 81, 152–154, 164

Chinatown, 55, 56, 74–75, 80–82, 104–105, 192n30

Chinese Exclusion Act, 23, 28, 59, 70

Chinese problem. See Asian problem

citizenship: African Americans and, 24, 27, 59; anti-Semitism and, 161; Asian Americans and, 23, 24–28, 114–116, 132, 133, 137–138, 157, 158–160, 170–171, 172–174; of Chertoff, 160–162; cold war and, 53; Constitution and, 24–25; Declaration of Independence and, 24–25; of Dinh, 157, 158–160; dual, 161, 196n15; family and, 18, 158, 159, 160, 161; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 55–56, 83–85; gender and, 25; identity and, 114–116, 146; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 23; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 132, 133, 137–138, 147–148; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xiii–xiv, xxvii–xviii; Jewish Americans and, 23, 42, 45, 48–51, 54–55, 114–116, 141–142, 143, 146, 160–162; language and, 141–143, 146–148; literature and, generally, 16–19; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 141–143, 146–148; love and, 158; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 54–55, 55–56, 61; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 89, 109–112, 114–116, 119–120, 121; Native Americans and, 59; in The Promised Land (Antin), 88–89, 92, 95–96, 96–97, 98–100; in The Rise of David Levinsky (Cahan), 51; Second World War and, 170–171, 172–174; slavery and, 59; in “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese” (Eaton), 23; Vietnam War and, 157; voting and, 87; War on Terror and, 166, 174; whiteness and, 59, 114, 159, 161; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 23, 42, 45, 48–51. See also immigration policy; naturalization

civil rights movement: Civil Liberties Act, 173; economy and, 102; immigration policy and, 12, 101–105, 179; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 105, 108–109, 116, 120, 121, 122; Olympics and, 198n41; Reagan and, 150; War on Terror compared with, 167

cold war: Asian Americans and, 103; China and, 72; citizenship and, 53; democracy and, 158; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 55, 56, 74, 77, 81, 82, 84–85; immigration policy and, 73, 102–105, 124, 179; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 133–134; Liberty Weekend and, 151; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 108, 110–111, 117; naturalization and, 73; Vietnam War and, 153–154, 156, 158–159, 162; War on Terror replaces, 152; whiteness and, 103

Dinh, Viet D., 152, 153–163

Eaton, Edith Maude, 23, 28–38, 39, 51, 162, 175

economy: Asian Americans and, 21, 26, 28, 163; civil rights movement and, 102; Dinh and, 155–157; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 80–82; in The Flower Drum Song (Rodgers and Hammerstein), 76; immigration and, xvi–xvii, 123–124, 124–125; immigration policy and, 102, 127–129; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 128, 130, 137; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xvi–xvii; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 128; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 60; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 121, 122; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 177–178, 178–179, 180, 181; naturalization and, 127–129; in The Promised Land (Antin), 94, 97–98; Statue of Liberty and, 123–124, 124–125; Vietnam War and, 155–157; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 47

Ellis Island, 46–48, 63, 64, 104, 201n41, 201n42

Emergency Quota Act, 9, 88, 101

Expatriation Act, 34, 38

gender: Asian problem and, 34, 37, 38; bodies and, 25; citizenship and, 25; Constitution and, 25; denaturalization and, 34; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 132, 134, 138; Liberty Weekend and, 151; selfhood and, 174–175; in “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese” (Eaton), 34–35; voting and, 191n13; War on Terror and, 174–175; womanhood, 32, 34–35

A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 1–5, 7, 10

Hoffman, Eva: Chertoff compared with, 162; Hammad compared with, 175; Lost in Translation, 123, 125, 127–129, 139, 141–148

Hollinger, David, 86, 107, 109, 122

Immigration Act of 1921, 197n24

Immigration Act of 1965. See Immigration and Nationality Act

Immigration and Nationality Act: in The Accidental Asian (Liu), 12–13; enactment of, 86, 101–105; The Jazz Singer (Fleischer) and, xii, xiv; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 119; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 178–179; naturalization in, xviii; promised land and, 124

Immigration Law Amendments, 163

immigration policy: in The Accidental Asian (Liu), 10–11, 15–16; allegiances and, 170–171; Asian Americans and, 28, 29–33, 103, 104–105, 166–167, 177–179, 184; Asiatic Barred Zone Act, 11, 88; assimilation in, 54, 57–60; bodies and, 28, 41, 57, 73, 101, 103, 104–105, 134, 138, 163, 164–165, 166, 169, 171, 172, 173, 192n33, 200n12; borders in, 21, 28, 100–101, 125–127, 129, 139, 162–163, 164, 165–166, 171–172, 184; Bush and, 163–166, 167, 174; Chinese Exclusion Act, 23, 28, 59, 70; civil rights movement and, 12, 101–105, 179; cold war and, 73, 102–105, 124, 179; Commission on Immigration, 90; crime and, 164, 169; democracy and, 102, 104, 140–141, 164, 166–167, 179; Dinh and, 166–172; discrimination and, 101–102; Displaced Persons Act, 55; economy and, 102, 127–129; in election of 1912, 86–88, 90; Emergency Quota Act, 9, 88, 101; employment and, 103–104, 105, 127–128, 134, 136, 139; Expatriation Act, 34, 38; family and, 31–33, 103–104, 105; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 53–54, 55, 78, 84–85; in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 5, 10; Immigration Act of 1921, 197n24; Immigration and Nationality Act, xii, xiv, xviii, 12–13, 86, 101–105, 119, 124, 178–179; Immigration Law Amendments, 163; Immigration Reform and Control Act, 127–129, 131–132, 136, 138, 139, 163; Indochinese Migration/Refugee Assistance Act, 124; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 29–33; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 127–129, 131–132, 134, 135, 136, 137–138, 147–148; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xii–xiv, xv; Jewish Americans and, 46–48, 184, 201n41; Johnson-Reed Act, 9, 59, 88, 101; language and, 128, 139–141; Latin Americans and, 104; Liberty Weekend and, 151; literacy and, 87, 90, 91, 128; literature and, generally, 16–19; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 127–129, 147–148; marriage and, 103–104; McCarran-Walter Act, 6, 55, 72–73, 77, 103, 127; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 53–54, 65, 69–71; melting pot and, 66–67, 100–101; modeling and, 31, 184; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 105, 109, 111, 119; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 177–178, 178–179; names and, 132; nationhood and, 101, 172, 184; Naturalization Act of 1790, 4–7, 21–22, 59; Naturalization Act of 1870, 7, 23, 24–28, 59; Ozawa v. United States, 7–8, 27; Page Act, 23, 28, 32; Parliamentary Act of 1740, 6; perpetual foreigners and, 184; personhood and, 23; preferences in, 103–104; in Progressive era, 86–88, 89–92; promised land and, 105, 124; quotas in, xv, 9, 12, 15, 73, 87, 88, 90, 92, 101–102, 103, 151, 197n24; In re Ah Yup, 23, 26–28, 32; Refugee Act, xiv, 124; refugees and, 104; residency in, 103–104, 128; Second World War and, 9; selfhood and, 23, 28, 101, 168–169, 171, 172, 184; sexuality and, 28; taxation in, 41; transnationalism and, 171–172; undocumented migration and, 125–129, 135, 136, 137–138; United States v. Thind, 11–12, 27; United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 36; USA PATRIOT Act, 162–163, 168–172; War Brides Act, 28; War on Terror and, 164–172, 174; whiteness and, 31–32, 100–101, 103, 140–141, 166–167, 172; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 46–48. See also naturalization

The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 90–92, 100–101

Immigration Reform and Control Act, 127–129, 131–132, 136, 138, 139, 163

India, 177–184

Indian Citizenship Act, 187n6

Indochinese Migration/Refugee Assistance Act, 124

In re Ah Yup, 23, 26–28, 32, 188n11

“In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 23, 29–33

Jasmine (Mukherjee): analysis of, 123, 125, 127–138; Chertoff and Dinh compared with, 162; Lost in Translation (Hoffman) compared with, 142, 146, 147–148

The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xi–xix, 180

The Jazz Singer (Jolson), xi

Jen, Gish, 89–90, 105–122, 162, 175

Jewish Americans: in The Accidental Asian (Liu), 1, 5, 10, 12–13, 14–16; alienation and, 177–184; allegiances and, 54–55, 116, 117, 162; in American Civil War, 22–23; assimilation and, 54–55, 161, 162; citizenship and, 23, 42, 45, 48–51, 54–55, 114–116, 141–142, 143, 146, 160–162; family and, 46–51, 160, 161; food and, 62–63; in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 5; holidays and, 115–116, 119; identity and, xii, xvii, 16, 42, 45, 50, 51, 113–122, 143; immigration and, 40–51, 92, 124, 142; immigration policy and, 46–48, 184, 201n41; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 92; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xii–xiv, xii, xv–xvi, xvii–xviii; the Jewish problem, 40–41, 68, 69, 92; language and, 117; literacy and, 119; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 141–142, 143, 146; Medal of Liberty for, 149, 151; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 54–55, 55–56, 60–61, 62–63, 68–69; modeling and, 9, 10, 12–13, 14–16, 39–40, 54–55, 56, 112–113, 119, 149, 151, 154–155, 160–163, 178, 184; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 107–108, 109–110, 112–122; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 178, 181; nationhood and, 184; naturalization and, 6–7, 8–10, 23, 27, 41–42, 42–43, 44–51, 117–118, 155; as perpetual foreigners, 184; personhood and, 14, 40, 41, 46, 51; in The Promised Land (Antin), 98–100; promised land and, 98–100; as refugees, 201n41; religion and, 6, 68–69, 113–122; selfhood and, 40, 41, 42, 43, 49, 146, 184; statelessness and, 6, 60, 98–99, 143; suffering of, 163; transnationalism and, 40–41, 42–44, 48, 50, 51, 54–55; whiteness and, 6, 22–23, 27, 40, 44, 92, 113, 114, 121, 161, 178, 181; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 41–51

Johnson, Lyndon B., 102, 103, 104, 153, 178–179

Johnson-Reed Act, 9, 59, 88, 101

language: Asian Americans and, 107, 154; assimilation and, 57, 141; citizenship and, 141–143, 146–148; democracy and, 140–141; Dinh and, 154; education and, 144–145; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 80, 81; identity and, 143–144; immigration and, 126–127, 128, 139–143; immigration policy and, 128, 139–141; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 91; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 29–30, 31; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 127, 128, 147–148; Jewish Americans and, 117; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 127, 128, 139, 141–148; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 62, 63, 65; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 107, 112, 117; naturalization and, 91, 139–141, 143–148; in New York City, 124; official, 139–141; in Ozawa v. United States, 7; patriotism and, 139–141; in The Promised Land (Antin), 94–96, 98; selfhood and, 142; transnationalism and, 143, 144–145; whiteness and, 140–141; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 43–44, 45, 48, 49, 50. See also literacy; names

Lee, Chin Y.: The Flower Drum Song, 52, 53–54, 55–56, 74–75, 76–85;

literacy: Asian Americans and, 119; immigration and, 126–127, 128; immigration policy and, 87, 90, 91, 128; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 127, 128; Jewish Americans and, 119; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 127, 128, 146; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 112, 113, 115–116, 117, 119, 122; naturalization and, 91; in The Promised Land (Antin), 95–96, 100; selfhood and, 146. See also language

Lost in Translation (Hoffman): analysis of, 123, 125, 127–129, 139, 141–148; Chertoff compared with, 162; “First Writing Since” (Hammad) compared with, 175

McCarran-Walter Act: in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 77, 84; Immigration Reform and Control Act and, 127; whiteness and, 6, 55, 72–73, 103

McKinley, William, 52–53, 54, 56, 62, 71, 73

Medal of Liberty, 148–151

melting pot: in election of 1912, 87; First World War and, 93, 100–101; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 90–92, 100–101; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 139, 148; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 58–60, 61, 66–67, 70; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 110–111, 111–112; naturalization and, 73; in The Promised Land (Antin), 94

The Melting-Pot (Zangwill): analysis of, 52, 53–56, 58, 60–71, 84; The Jazz Singer (Fleischer) compared with, 186n13; The Promised Land (Antin) compared with, 88–89, 93, 94–95, 99

Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 89–90, 105, 106–122, 175

Mukherjee, Bharati: Jasmine, 123, 125, 127–138

Muslim Americans, 164–165, 166, 174–175

“My Own Private India” (Stein), 177–184

names: immigration policy and, 132; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 32–33; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 130–131, 132, 136–137; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xiv; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 144–145; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 107, 108, 121; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 182–183; naturalization and, 132; transnationalism and, 130–131; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 42–43, 48, 50. See also language

nationhood: Asian Americans and, 184; assimilation and, 71, 90–92; bodies and, 69; democracy and, 53, 60; in The Flower Drum Song (Rodgers and Hammerstein), 75–76; immigration policy and, 101, 172, 184; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 90–92; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 33; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 130; Jewish Americans and, 184; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 107; naturalization and, xviii, 17, 18; in The Promised Land (Antin), 95–96; Statue of Liberty and, 125; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto, 44, 48. See also personhood; selfhood

naturalization: in The Accidental Asian (Liu), 10–11, 16; African Americans and, 24, 26, 27, 187n6; allegiances and, 4–5, 6, 7–8, 26, 63–68, 159, 167; Asian Americans and, 6–8, 9–13, 23, 24–28, 29, 32–33, 35–38, 55, 73, 76–85, 117–118, 130–132, 133–138, 155, 157, 158–160, 162, 205n43; Asiatic Barred Zone Act, 11, 88; assimilation and, 53, 57–58, 59; bodies and, xix, 9, 10, 11, 53, 57, 59, 91, 96, 127, 148, 171, 172, 173, 181; character and, 4–5, 6, 8, 9; Chinese Exclusion Act, 23, 28, 59, 70; cold war and, 73; Constitution and, 77; of Dinh, 157, 158–160, 162; economy and, 127–129; education and, 144–145, 155; Emergency Quota Act, 9, 88, 101; Expatriation Act, 34, 38; family and, 158, 159, 160; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 55–56, 76–80, 84; in The Flower Drum Song (Rodgers and Hammerstein), 75–76; in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 3–5, 7, 10; in Great Britain, 6; identity and, 117–118; Immigration and Nationality Act, xii, xiv, xviii, 12–13, 86, 101–105, 119, 124, 178–179; Immigration Law Amendments, 163; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 91–92; immigration problem and, 17; Immigration Reform and Control Act, 127–129, 131–132, 139, 163; Indian Citizenship Act, 187n6; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 23, 29, 32–33; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 128–129, 130–132, 133–138; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xiv, xviii–xix; Jewish Americans and, 6–7, 8–10, 23, 27, 41–42, 42–43, 44–51, 117–118, 155; Johnson-Reed Act, 9, 59, 88, 101; language and, 91, 139–141, 143–148; Liberty Weekend and, 148–151; literacy and, 91; literature and, generally, 16–19; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 128–129, 141, 143–148; McCarran-Walter Act, 6, 55, 72–73, 77, 103, 127; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 55–56, 58, 60, 63–71; modeling and, 18, 157, 158–160, 162; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 89, 109–110, 115–116, 117–118; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 178; names and, 132; nationhood and, xviii, 17, 18; Native Americans and, 187n6; Naturalization Act of 1790, 4–7, 21–22, 59; Naturalization Act of 1870, 7, 23, 24–28, 59; oaths for, 4–5, 26, 65, 67, 71, 78, 94–95, 96, 167–168, 170–171; Ozawa v. United States, 7–8, 27; Parliamentary Act of 1740, 6; patriotism and, 7–8, 167; personhood and, 5, 17, 26–27; in The Promised Land (Antin), 88–89, 92, 93–101; In re Ah Yup, 23, 26–28, 32; refugees and, 159, 162; religion and, 6, 117–118; residency and, 4–5, 11, 91, 128, 134–135, 139, 150; selfhood and, xviii, 17–18, 27, 28, 167–168, 171; in “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese” (Eaton), 23, 33, 35–38; transnationalism and, 144–145; in Typical American (Jen), 197n40; United States v. Thind, 11–12, 27; United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 36; War on Terror and, 166, 168, 169, 171–172, 175; whiteness and, 4–8, 10–12, 24–28, 59, 87, 91–92, 100–101, 159, 172; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 23, 41–42, 42–43, 44–51. See also immigration policy

Naturalization Act of 1790, 4–7, 21–22, 59

Naturalization Act of 1870, 7, 23, 24–28, 59

oaths: in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 78; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 64, 65, 67, 71; for naturalization, 4–5, 26, 65, 67, 71, 78, 94–95, 96, 167–168; in The Promised Land (Antin), 94–95, 96; religion and, 6; in Second World War, 170–171; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 45. See also allegiances

Ozawa v. United States, 7–8, 27

Page Act, 23, 28, 32

The Passing of the Great Race (Grant), 90, 100

PATRIOT Act, 162–163, 168–172

patriotism: Dinh and, 167; language and, 139–141; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 64, 65, 68, 69, 70–71; naturalization and, 7–8, 167; in The Promised Land (Antin), 92, 94, 95–96; Statue of Liberty and, 148; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 45. See also allegiances

People v. Hall, 20–23, 25, 27, 32, 188n9

perpetual foreigners: in The Accidental Asian (Liu), 11; Asian Americans and, 181, 184; bodies of, 9, 12; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 79; in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 2, 10; immigration policy and, 184; Jewish Americans and, 184; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 110–111, 115; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 181; in United States v. Thind, 12

personhood: African Americans and, 26; Asian Americans and, 26–27, 39, 41; immigration policy and, 23; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 33; Jewish Americans and, 14, 40, 41, 46, 51; marriage and, 38; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 119–120; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 206n8; naturalization and, 5, 17, 26–27; in Ozawa v. United States, 8; in People v. Hall, 21; in The Promised Land (Antin), 94; in The Rise of David Levinsky (Cahan), 51; in Roughing It (Twain), 39; selfhood and, 23; in “Snow” (Butler), 3, 5; in “The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese” (Eaton), 38; in “Success Story, Japanese-American Style” (Petersen), 14; whiteness and, 23, 24, 26–27, 28, 29, 39, 206n8; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 46, 51. See also nationhood; selfhood

Philippines, 52–53, 56, 71

The Promised Land (Antin), 88–89, 89–90, 92–101, 105, 145

questions. See Asian problem; immigration problem; Jewish problem

quotas: Dillingham Commission and, 90; in election of 1912, 87; Emergency Quota Act, 9, 88, 101; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 78; Immigration Act of 1921, 197n24; Immigration and Nationality Act and, 12, 101–102, 103; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 92; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xv; Johnson-Reed Act and, 101, 197n24; Liberty Weekend and, 151; McCarran-Walter Act and, 73; in “Success Story, Japanese-American Style” (Petersen), 15

race. See African Americans; Asian Americans; whiteness

reading. See literacy Reagan, Ronald, 123–125, 127, 129, 148–151, 173

refugees: Asian Americans as, 55, 159, 162; assimilation and, 18–19; Dinh as, 159, 162, 166–167; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 53–54, 55, 56, 74–75, 77, 78–79, 80–85; immigration policy and, 104; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 133; Jewish Americans as, 201n41; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 144; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 53–54; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 105; naturalization and, 159, 162; Refugee Act, xiv, 124

religion: allegiances and, 116, 117; Asian Americans and, 113–122; identity and, 113–122; Jewish Americans and, 6, 68–69, 113–122; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 60, 62–63, 67, 68–69; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 89, 107–108, 109, 113–122; naturalization and, 6, 117–118; in The Promised Land (Antin), 92, 94, 99; whiteness and, 114

residency: in immigration policy, 103–104, 128; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 91; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 134–135; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 64; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 181–182; naturalization and, 4–5, 11, 91, 128, 139, 150; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 45

Roosevelt, Franklin D., 165, 170, 172

Roosevelt, Theodore, 53, 56–58, 61, 71, 73, 86–87

Russia: in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 60, 61, 62, 66; in The Promised Land (Antin), 89, 93, 94, 96–97, 99, 100; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 42–48, 50

Second World War: Asian Americans and, 165, 170–171, 172–174; citizenship and, 170–171, 172–174; in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 2, 3; immigration policy and, 9; Liberty Weekend and, 151; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 118

selfhood: in The Accidental Asian (Liu), 13, 15–16; Asian Americans and, 21–22, 25, 27, 28, 32, 41, 75, 173, 184; assimilation and, 53, 57, 59; in election of 1912, 87; family and, 158; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 75, 77, 78, 79; in The Flower Drum Song (Rodgers and Hammerstein), 76; gender and, 174–175; in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler), 3; identity and, 146; immigration policy and, 23, 28, 101, 168–169, 171, 172, 184; in The Immigration Problem (Jenks and Lauck), 91–92; in “In the Land of the Free” (Eaton), 32; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 127, 129, 133, 138, 147–148, 162; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xiii–xiv, xvii, xviii–xix; Jewish Americans and, 40, 41, 42, 43, 49, 146, 184; language and, 142; literacy and, 146; literature and, generally, 18–19; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 127, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147–148; love and, 158; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 63, 64, 65, 68; in Mona in the Promised Land (Jen), 105, 107, 119–120; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 178; naturalization and, xviii, 17–18, 27, 28, 167–168, 171; personhood and, 23; in The Promised Land (Antin), 92, 93–94; in The Rise of David Levinsky (Cahan), 51; Vietnam War and, 156–157; War on Terror and, 168–169, 171; whiteness and, 23, 27, 28; in Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto (Cahan), 23, 42, 43, 49, 51. See also nationhood; personhood

September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 164, 167, 169, 174

Simpson-Mazzoli Act. See Immigration Reform and Control Act

Spanish-American War, 52–53, 56, 71

statelessness: Asian Americans and, 74–75, 132, 133, 157; Dinh and, 157; in “First Writing Since” (Hammad), 174–175; in The Flower Drum Song (Lee), 74–75; in Jasmine (Mukherjee), 132, 133; Jewish Americans and, 6, 60, 98–99, 143; in Lost in Translation (Hoffman), 143; in The Promised Land (Antin), 98–100; in Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 174; War on Terror and, 172–175

Statue of Liberty: democracy and, 124; economy and, 123–124, 124–125; history of, 199n1; immigration and, 123–125, 148–151; in The Jazz Singer (Fleischer), xv; Johnson at, 102, 104; Liberty Weekend and, 123–125, 148, 202n42; in The Melting-Pot (Zangwill), 67–68, 70; in “My Own Private India” (Stein), 183