Stanford Experts

Gordon H. Chang

Description

Gordon Chang is an American historian who studies the historical connections between race and ethnicity in America. He also studies foreign relations, examining trans-Pacific relations in their diplomatic as well as their cultural and social dimensions. He has written about U.S. diplomacy, America-China relations, the Chinese diaspora, Asian American history and global history.

He is interested in two areas of American life that are often considered separately: the historical connections between race and ethnicity in America, on the one hand, and foreign relations, on the other. He explores these interconnections in his teaching and scholarship. His  particular area of focus is trans-Pacific relations, the inter-connections between East Asia and America. He is interested in political, social, and cultural interactions from the earliest days of America to the present. His current research project concerns the recovery and interpretation of the experiences of Chinese railroad workers in North America.