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In Person Location: Law Building, Room 201
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Becoming Chinese: White Women and the Chinese Immigration Act, 1885-1947

This talk tracks the curious way in which some white women in Canada became Chinese. They did not, of course, become racially or ethnically Chinese. However, I have found that women who married Chinese men during the period of the Chinese Immigration Act were issued head tax certificates that functioned like passports. These documents, known as “Chinese Immigration 9” or C.I. 9 certificates, were issued to Chinese migrants living in Canada so that they could leave the country for a period of up to two years. The bearer of the certificate was permitted to return to Canada, provided that they did so prior to the expiration of the certificate. Over the period of the Chinese Immigration Act, tens of thousands of these certificates were issued. While it is widely known that Chinese migrants to Canada paid a head tax and were the subject of a wide range of Chinese immigration certificates, my research has revealed that white women who married Chinese men were also subjected to the terms of the Chinese Immigration Act whenever they wished to depart and re-enter Canada. My talk will look at C.I. 9s issued to white women in Canada and discuss the implications of this finding for understanding the role of gender and race in the construction of white femininity during the period of this law.