Bancroft Prize
2 appearances
-
Edition 75 (2022) Winner
Mae Ngai
メイ・ンガイ
Mae Ngai
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- The Bronx, New York City (birthplace) → Chicago, Illinois (taught at University of Chicago) → New York City (Columbia University, current affiliation)
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, Author, Professor
- Active Years
- 1972-
- Affiliations
- Columbia University (History; Asian American Studies), University of Chicago (former affiliation), Radcliffe Institute (Fellowships/visiting)
- Influenced By
- Eric Foner
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire State College | — | — | B.A. | 〜1992 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | History | M.A. | 1992–1993 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | History | Ph.D. | 1993–1998 | United States |
Empire State College
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
〜1992
Year of Graduation:
1992
Country:
United States
Columbia University
History
Degree:
M.A.
Period:
1992–1993
Year of Graduation:
1993
Country:
United States
Columbia University
History
Degree:
Ph.D.
Period:
1993–1998
Year of Graduation:
1998
Country:
United States
Doctoral dissertation supervised by Eric Foner
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bancroft Prize | — | — | Columbia University (Bancroft Prize) | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Sciences | 選出 |
| 2005 | Frederick Jackson Turner Award | Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America | — | Organization of American Historians | 受賞 |
| 2009 | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Theodore Saloutos Book Award | Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America | — | Immigration and Ethnic History Society | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Littleton-Griswold Prize | Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America | — | American Historical Association | 受賞 |
| 2003 | Radcliffe Institute Fellowship | — | — | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (Harvard University) | 受賞 |
Bancroft Prize
2022
Organization:
Columbia University (Bancroft Prize)
Result:
受賞
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2022
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result:
選出
Frederick Jackson Turner Award
2005
Work:
Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
Organization:
Organization of American Historians
Result:
受賞
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship
2009
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Theodore Saloutos Book Award
2004
Work:
Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
Organization:
Immigration and Ethnic History Society
Result:
受賞
Littleton-Griswold Prize
2004
Work:
Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
Organization:
American Historical Association
Result:
受賞
Radcliffe Institute Fellowship
2003
Organization:
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (Harvard University)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
2004 History / Immigration historyA scholarly study of how the legal category of the "illegal alien" was constructed in early twentieth-century America, and the social and historical consequences of that construction, examining nationhood, race, and citizenship.
nationalismcitizenshipraceimmigration policy
The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America
2010 History / Family historyThrough the story of one family, the book traces the making of Chinese American communities and the historical invention of "Chinese America."
immigrant experiencefamily historycommunity formation
The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics
2021 History / Global historyExamines Chinese migration during the nineteenth-century gold rushes within a global political context and the international questions raised by Chinese migration.
gold rushesglobal politicsChinese migration
Bibliography
- Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America (2004; 2nd ed. 2014)
- The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America (2010)
- The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics (2021)
- Scholarly articles and essays (Journal of American History, Law and History Review, etc.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Scholarly, rigorous archival analysisClear prose reflecting interests in legal and policy history
- Recurring Motifs
- construction of nationality and citizenshipinstitutional processes of racializationmigration and border experiences
Legacy
As a Columbia historian, Ngai has produced influential work on immigration, nationality, and race, speaking widely in both academic and public spheres. Works such as Impossible Subjects are considered important contributions to immigration and legal history.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow)
Quotes
-
"Being Chinese and being American existed in tension, but not in contradiction."
Source: Interview / memoir commentary (summarized from multiple sources)
Trivia
- Her family are Taiwanese waishengren; her maternal grandfather was a Kuomintang official.
- Her doctoral advisor was Eric Foner.
- She has written for major newspapers including the Washington Post and The New York Times.