American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1982) Winner
Him Mark Lai
マーク・ライ（マク・レイキン）
Mak Lai Him / Him Mark Lai
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1925-11-01 （San Francisco, California, United States）
- Died
- 2009-05-21 （San Francisco, California, United States） age 83
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Chinese (Cantonese / Mandarin)
- Residence History
- San Francisco (primary residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, Mechanical engineer
- Active Years
- 1947-2009
- Affiliations
- Chinese Historical Society of America, Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, Bechtel
- Memberships
- Chinese Historical Society of America (member, board member, president)
- Influenced By
- Stanford Lyman, Progressive Chinese American community activists
- Influenced
- Judy Yung, Genny Lim, Philip Choy, Subsequent generations of Chinese American historians and community researchers
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City College of San Francisco | — | — | — | 1943–1945 | United States |
| University of California, Berkeley | — | Mechanical Engineering | BS | 1945–1947 | United States |
City College of San Francisco
Period:
1943–1945
Year of Graduation:
1945
Country:
United States
Class valedictorian, 1945
University of California, Berkeley
Mechanical Engineering
Degree:
BS
Period:
1945–1947
Year of Graduation:
1947
Country:
United States
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | San Francisco Public Library Chinatown Branch named in his honor (posthumous) | — | — | San Francisco Public Library Commission | 命名（栄誉） |
San Francisco Public Library Chinatown Branch named in his honor (posthumous)
2010
Organization:
San Francisco Public Library Commission
Result:
命名（栄誉）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910–1940
1980 History / Oral history / Poetry translationA compilation and translation of Chinese poems carved on the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station and oral histories of detainees, documenting the experiences of Chinese immigrants under exclusion-era policies. Co-authored with Judy Yung and Genny Lim.
Chinese American immigration historyexclusion and discriminationmemory and oral history
Chinese Newspapers Published in North America, 1854–1975
1977 Bibliography / Source compilationA chronological catalogue and bibliography of Chinese-language newspapers published in North America, co-compiled with Karl Lo. Serves as a primary-source index for researchers.
archival preservationmedia historyimmigrant communities
A History Reclaimed: An Annotated Bibliography of Chinese Language Materials on the Chinese of America
1986 Annotated bibliographyAn annotated bibliography emphasizing Chinese-language materials relevant to the history of Chinese in America, highlighting the importance of Chinese-language primary sources.
information organization and indexingbuilding research infrastructure
Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions
2004 Community and institutional historyA comprehensive study of the development of Chinese American communities and institutions, tracing organizational, cultural, and social change.
community formationinstitutions and organizationsreexamining history
Bibliography
- A History of the Chinese in California: A Syllabus (1969)
- Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910–1940 (1980; Univ. of Washington Press 1991)
- Chinese Newspapers Published in North America, 1854–1975 (1977)
- A History Reclaimed: An Annotated Bibliography of Chinese Language Materials on the Chinese of America (1986)
- From Overseas Chinese to Chinese American: History of Development of Chinese American Society during the Twentieth Century (1992, written in Chinese)
- Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions (2004)
- Chinese America: History & Perspectives (editor, 1987–2009)
Adaptations
- Him Mark Lai: The People's Historian (documentary)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Archival, empirical narrativeCombines oral history and translation grounded in community studies
- Recurring Motifs
- memory and testimony of immigrantsdocumentation of exclusion and discriminationformation of communities and institutions
Health
-
Bladder cancer2007–2009Diagnosed terminal in 2007; he continued researching and writing until his death.
Legacy
Him Mark Lai played a central role in systematizing Chinese American history and preserving primary sources. Through collecting, cataloguing, and translating sources he built infrastructure for the field and earned recognition as the "Dean" of Chinese American history.
Museums
- Him Mark Lai Collection (UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library) Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA Opened in 2003
Academic Societies
- Chinese Historical Society of America
Archives
- Him Mark Lai Collection — UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library
- Finding Aid to the Him Mark Lai Papers — Online Archive of California
In Popular Culture
- Documentary 'Him Mark Lai: The People's Historian' (2004)
- The Chinatown Files (film depicting related activities)
Quotes
-
"The scholar who legitimized the study of Chinese America"
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education (2000) (2000)
Trivia
- Called the "Dean of Chinese American history" for his central role in legitimizing the field.
- Worked as a mechanical engineer at Bechtel from 1953 to 1984, then retired to focus on historical research.
- Donated over 200 feet of personal research materials to UC Berkeley's Ethnic Studies Library (2003).
- San Francisco Public Library's Chinatown branch was renamed in his honor (2010, posthumous).