Race, Law, and The Chinese Puzzle in Imperial Britain [Paperback]

In the early twentieth century, Chinese immigration became the focal point for racial panic in Britain. Fears about its moral and economic impact - amplified by press sensationalism and lurid fictional portrayals of London's original 'Chinatown' as a den of vice and iniquity - prompted mass arrests, deportations, and mob violence. Even after the neighborhood was demolished and its inhabitants dispersed, the stereotype of the Chinese criminal mastermind and other 'yellow peril' images remained as permanent aspects of British culture. This painstakingly researched study traces the historical evolution of Chinese communities in Britain during this period, revealing their significance in the development of race as a category in British culture, law, and politics.'Chinese Labour' and the Imperial Dimensions of British Racial Discourse The Dragon and Saint George, 1910-1914 'Most insidious is the Oriental in the West': Chinese and Britons in Wartime London East (End) Meets West (End) 'This Plague Spot of the Metropolis,' 1919-1921 Epilogue:?The Ghosts of Chinatown

Auerbach engages directly with the question that underpins much of the historiography in this area: was fear of economic competition or racism the ultimate cause of anti-Chinese attitudes? The book presents persuasive evidence and turns significant new light onto the same question within the empire. Too seldom has comparative engagement with this obviously transnational issue been undertaken, and Auerbach s study is the more to be commended because of this. - American Historical Review

Sascha Auerbach's Race, Law, and the Chinese Puzzle in Imperial Britain is a significant contribution to the scholarly literature on Anglo-American representations of China and the Chinese and on the historical experiences of the Chinese Diaspora. What makes this particular book stand out from many others is its success in delineating the symbiotic relationship between representations and praxis - inl“Å