This path was created by Anonymous. The last update was by Angela Yon.
Outsiders in Demand: Chinese and Japanese Immigrant Performers
Images and historic language within this chapter are often racist, outdated, and upsetting. Descriptions of violence against persons including Chinese and Japanese immigrants are featured in some sections. Primary source documents have been preserved in their original form in order to preserve historic narratives, even where language and imagery is offensive. Wherever possible, racist terminology has been replaced by appropriate terminology.
This chapter explores the experiences of Chinese and Japanese circus performers, and the intersection of their experience with the United States' law and policy at the time. Though the chapter focuses on the specific experiences of performers, their reality was shaped by immigration policies outlined on this page. Laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 not only restricted the immigration of Chinese, but inspired violence against Asian communities within the United States. Performers, often exempted from laws restricting Chinese and Japanese labor due to American demand for entertainment, were often one of few examples majority white American audiences had of Asian culture and identity. Their lives were thusly impacted by being displayed and critiqued as an example of their culture, in a society with deeply racist ideas about Asian immigration. Although this chapter focuses specifically on Chinese and Japanese performers, they make up just a small subset of Asian performers in the circus who performed or traveled with the show. Filipino, Indian, and performers from Western Asia and Northern Africa were also presented in the circus to fulfill the American desire for Orientalism. Read on to learn about the issues shaping the lives of these performers, and explore portraits of the specific lives.