1. Definition
Race is a social construct, meaning it is created by the society. As mentioned earlier, there is no gene that determines what race an individual will be. Race is an idea people came up with, and grow with it embedded in their heads. They think that individuals who are white are better off in the society. Other stereotypes of race include the notion held by people that individuals with lighter skin are more socially acceptable. Social constructions are not real, and so is race. It simply depends on collective agreement, imposition and acceptance of the notion.
The notion of race being a social construct has been discussed by various authors. Among them is Richard Schaefer. In his text, ‘Understanding Race and Ethnicity’, race, as a social construct, is a notion that is provided by a more superior or dominant group, which imposes boundaries in their group membership. They achieve this by defining race in terms of biology. Black people are deemed as biologically inferior to white people.
Race has been painted as a social construct that depends on the general agreement and acceptance by people in the society. It is usually created and defined by the superior group in the society.
2. Application
How The Chinese Immigration Experience On Angel Island Illustrate The Notion Of Race As A Social Construct.
The Angel Island Immigration Station was a port of entry located in San Francisco Bay, initiated by the United States government, serving the purpose of processing and detaining immigrants who were entering or leaving the country. Contrary to its counterpart, Ellis Island of the West, the Angel Island was built in order to enforce certain policies that would discriminate the entrance of Asian immigrants, leading to their exclusion. Among the Asian immigrants that passed through the Angel Island were the Chinese.
Chinese immigrants, particularly, were more affected by the policies implemented at the station, compared to other immigration groups. They were interrogated, subjected to longer physical exams and dentitions. Their plight also came with the implementation of a series of restrictive laws that prohibited the immigration of certain Asian classes and nationalities. Among the policies was the Chinese Exclusion Act.
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a policy passed on May 6, 1882 by Congress. It was later signed by Chester A. Arthur. The act provided with a 10-year suspension of the Chinese labor immigration. The entry of the Chinese immigrants was prohibited, under the basis that the Chinese, as an ethnic group, endangered local order in the places they settled. According to the act, only a few non-laborers, with certification from the Chinese government saying that they qualify to immigrate, were allowed to enter the country. The act also imposed new requirements on Chinese people who had already entered the country. They were required to provide certification upon re-entry, if they had left the country.
In addition to the policies, there were other experiences that the Chinese experienced at the Angel Island that were racially discriminatory. The facilities, the interrogations, the medical exams and the meals were among them.
Facilities
The station had two buildings. One of them was a large administration block that was used as a detention quarters for Europeans only. Later, the quarters would be used to detain Asian women in case of overcrowding. The other building was a two-story wooden house, also known as the detention quarters, where men were detained. The top floor was allocated for male Chinese immigrants while the bottom floor was for Japanese immigrants. The compound was surrounded with barbed wire, with guards posted in towers.
Many Chinese immigrants spend days in the infirmary. This was due to suspicion of having contagious diseases and the poor sanitation and conditions of the living quarters. On the station, there were separate dining quarters. This shows how the Chinese were treated with indifference, despite them having major similarities with the whites. The European race was perceived to be more superior that the Chinese race, a notion they had created themselves, believing that the Chinese was an inferior group.
Medical Examinations
Chinese immigrants, particularly women, went through a traumatizing experience as they were stripped naked and examined by white doctors. The presence of diseases like trachoma and parasites would earn them a deportation. The parasites regulation policy, especially hookworms target Chinese immigrants. This was so because other countries, like Japan, threatened to perform similar checks to U.S citizens who visited Japan. The hookworm regulation policy would later be abolished in the year 1920.
Interrogation
Before entering the U.S, all the immigrants were subjected to a hearing before the Board of Special Inquiry. This board was responsible for asking questions about the eligibility of an applicant to enter the country. Disparity in interrogation between European and Chinese applicants was present. Europeans applicants were briefly interrogated. Among the issues the European applicants were interrogated about were their financial and occupational status and their contacts in America. They were usually admitted immediately. This was also the case with Korean and Japanese immigrants. Chinese applicants were treated with suspicion and were subjected to intensive interrogations, despite them being Asians, like the Japanese and Koreans. The interrogations would even last for more than five days. They were to produce heavy documentation and white witnesses who would testify on their behalf.
Detention
The experiences of detainees on Angel Island differed. Other non-Asian detainees did not complain a lot about the conditions at the station. Some of them referred to the conditions as tolerable, especially when the barracks were not overcrowded. They enjoyed good food, spacious quarters and their freedom. Contrary, Chinese immigrants complained about the injustices they faced at the station. The exclusion rates of Chinese immigrants, in addition to their detention periods were high, compared to those of non-Asian immigrants. They were not given freedom, and most of the times they were locked in their barracks. Only women were allowed a one-time-per-week tour of the island, while the men remained in the fenced yard. The dormitories where the immigrants stayed were overcrowded and unsanitary.
Meals
The quality of the food served to the detainees was generally poor. However, the quality complains about the food served at the station were different. While Europeans complained about their food being served cold and lacking variety, Chinese immigrants flatly described their food as inedible. Their dining rooms were unsanitary, with dirty chairs and tables. They were often served on dirty dishes with caked on food from previous meals.
Racial inequality was the main cause of the poor quality of food. According to the government, the private firms that were usually hired to prepare meals for the station were to spend less on meals for Asian than on the meals for Europeans.
From the experience of Chinese immigrants on Angel Island, there are numerous of racial inequality. As stated earlier, race is simply a social construction that depends on the agreement and acceptance of the parties involved. It is a creation of the mind and people grow to believe in it. Despite Japanese, Koreans and Chinese being all Asians, the Chinese were treated with more inequality. They are all from the same race but racial inequality is more based on the Chinese immigrants than the other immigrants.
Works cited
Ferrante-Wallace, Joan, and Prince Brown, eds. The social construction of race and ethnicity in the United States. Pearson College Division, 2001.
Lai, H. Mark, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung, eds. Island: Poetry and history of Chinese immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940. San Francisco Study Center, 1980.
Lee, Erika, and Judy Yung. Angel island: Immigrant gateway to America. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Nicola, Patricia Hackett. "Chinese Exclusion Act Records." (2006).
Ransome, Frederick Leslie, and George Jennings Hinde. The Geology of Angel Island. The University, 1894.
Schaefer, Richard T. Race and ethnicity in the United States. Prentice Hall, 2008.
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