Two faces of exclusion The untold history of anti-Asian racism in the United States

University of Southern California historian Kurashige has written a thoughtful history of anti-Asian racism in the US, tracing the sad narrative of Asian exclusionism that led to the eventual denial of immigration and naturalization rights to Asian immigrants until the 1940s and 1950s. He explains to readers that Asian exclusionists faced often-effective opposition from a complex grouping of intellectuals, activists, and politicians that he calls "egalitarians." Historians of the Asian American experience might well question Kurashige's terminology. Though he clearly understands and exposes the differences among egalitarians as well as exclusionists, it is hard to consider long-time enemy of immigrants and working people Senator Pat McCarran of Nevada an egalitarian, for even the briefest of times, simply because he cosponsored a bill in the early 1950s that permitted a trickle of Japanese immigration and Japanese immigrants living in the US naturalization rights. That said, Kurashige is on to something. Just as racism and nativism remain too visible in American society, a spirit of democratic openness has illuminated the US past and should be encouraged in the US present and future. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. --Joel S Franks, San Jose State, De Anza College