Miller to explore 19th-century Chinese immigration, anti-Asian racism

In recognition of Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hanover College’s Haq Center for Cross-Cultural Education will present a special conversation with Professor Anthony Miller at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 19.

Miller, assistant professor of history, will examine his recently published article, “Pioneers, Sunday Schoolers and Laundrymen: Chinese Immigrants in Iowa in the Chinese Exclusion Era, 1870–1890.” The discussion will explore Iowa’s earliest Chinese settlers in the late 19th century, a period of heightened anti-Chinese sentiment that led to the U.S. Chinese Exclusion Acts in 1882. (The article appears in the spring 2022 issue of the historical journal “The Annals of Iowa.”) The conversation will also put into context recent anti-Asian racism and violence through a historical lens that considers the migration history of Asians to the U.S.

The presentation will be held in the Haq Center, located on the first floor of the J. Graham Brown Campus Center. The event, co-sponsored by the Asian Student Union, is open to the public, free of charge, and will include a post-conversation reception.

Miller teaches courses in world and East Asian history. His research interests include the Cold War, Sino-American relations and the transnational ties forged by religion, immigration and diplomacy connecting the U.S. Midwest to China. Prior to coming to Hanover, he taught at the University of Colorado Denver’s International College Beijing, University of Maryland Global Campus in Japan, Centre College and Miami University.

Miller is a regular participant at the annual Midwest History Conference, Yale-Edinburgh Group for the Study of World Christianity and Missions and the China Christianity Studies group at the Association for Asian Studies.

He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Northern Iowa. He completed his doctorate at the University of Kentucky in 2015.

The Haq Center for Cross-Cultural Education is named in honor of former Hanover professors Mythili and Anwarul Haq, who served the College for a combined 44 years. Their namesake center exists as a hub for on-campus diversity programming, academic exploration and intergroup dialogue.

For information about the upcoming event or the Haq Center, contact Constance Pope, associate director of multicultural affairs, at (812) 866-7025.