Michigan State University Professor Anna Pegler-Gordon delivers a talk entitled, "Shanghaied in Hoboken: Asian Sailors as Workers and Immigrants." Pegler-Gordon describes how Asian seamen were incorporated into maritime work and how they suffered low pay, harsh conditions, virtual slavery, and harsh regulation under the federal Exclusion Act to prevent them from leaving their ships while in U.S. ports. She describes American fears of illegal immigration by Asian sailors jumping ship or by stowaways posing as sailors. Pegler-Gordon explains the role of U.S. immigration officials in interpreting and enforcing the Exclusion Act, the racist nature of enforcement, and the slow improvement of conditions. She answers questions from the audience. Pegler-Gordon is introduced by Michigan State University Professor John P. Beck. Part of the "Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives" Brown Bag series co-sponsored by the MSU School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, the MSU Museum, the MSU Asian Studies Center, and the Asian Pacific American Studies program. Held in the MSU Museum Auditorium.
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