Anirvan ChatterjeeMay 1, 2023

🧵 Happy #AAPIHeritageMonth!

People usually trace Asian American movements to 1968.

But I found an old newspaper article about an "Oriental Students Association" at the University of California in 1907, with members from India, China, Thailand, and Japan.

Do you see what I see? Here's the story 👇🏽

https://www.secretdesihistory.com/oriental-students-association-793e40f71896

#AsianAmerican #AsianAmericanHistory #Histodons #Berkeley #SFBA #EthnicStudies #SouthAsianAmerican

The Oriental Students Association of 1907  —  a new Asian American origin story? | Secret Desi History

The history of Asian American organizing is often told through the lens of 1960s movements, like the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA). But these students from India, China, Japan, and Siam created a new student organization together half a century prior.

Secret Desi History
Show threadAnirvan ChatterjeeMay 1, 2023

2/ Look at the list of names in that club.

I was struck by how diverse the 33 founding members were. They included, for example:

• Girindra Mukerji, India, agriculture
• Chwang Yu Hu, China, mining
• Ciichi Aoki, Japan, commerce
• Nai Lamoon, Siam, civil engineering

This is much more mixed than many theoretically pan-AAPI / #AsianAmerican groups today!

Show threadAnirvan ChatterjeeMay 1, 2023

3/ Why did they come together? The newspaper article described the impetus:

"…a certain amount of class distinction which they have felt to exist between them and their fellow students has resulted in the banding together…into a brotherhood…the object of which is to be sociability and mutual protection"

What conversations led to this moment?

Culture shock? Anti #AsianAmerican xenophobia? Shared values or commitments?

How did they remember it post-graduation, when many returned to Asia?

Show threadAnirvan Chatterjee

4/ I research early #IndianAmerican / #SouthAsianAmerican / #Desi histories in Berkeley, California, so some of the names are familiar to me.

For example, Girindra Mukerji was a student organizer outspoken in his opposition to British empire.

He became President of the Oriental Students Association, and led Berkeley's first South Asian anti-racist protest in 1908.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girindra_Mukerji

But I don't know the Japanese, Chinese, and Thai co-founders. There's much more here to dig into!

Girindra Mukerji - Wikipedia

May 1, 2023 at 7:33pmWeb
Show threadAnirvan ChatterjeeMay 1, 2023

5/ The Oriental Students' Association in 1907 Berkeley, CA may be an alternate early origin for pan-Asian organizing, one rooted in international student organizing.

See this blog post for the full text of the article: https://www.secretdesihistory.com/oriental-students-association-793e40f71896

Sources:
"Oriental Students at U.C. Form Association." The Berkeley Gazette, 11 Feb. 1907, pp. 1, 4
"He Wants More Hindoo Students to Come Here." San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Nov. 1907, p. 11
"Register 1907--1908--1909." University of California, 1909.

The Oriental Students Association of 1907  —  a new Asian American origin story? | Secret Desi History

The history of Asian American organizing is often told through the lens of 1960s movements, like the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA). But these students from India, China, Japan, and Siam created a new student organization together half a century prior.

Secret Desi History
Show threadAnirvan ChatterjeeMay 2, 2023
6/ Incidentally, I run the monthly Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour. If you're curious about these kinds of histories, come join us for an afternoon of storytelling on the streets of Berkeley, California! Details at https://www.BerkeleySouthAsian.org
Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour

Discover the secret histories of South Asian Americans in Berkeley and San Francisco, California. As seen in National Geographic and NPR.

Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour
Show threadDiligence JonesMay 2, 2023
@anirvan On a day when I'm not wrapped up doing dog-errands, I need to catch this tour!
Show threadErin ConroyMay 2, 2023
@anirvan Super interesting! Thanks for sharing this with us. Very interested to see your further research!
Show threadSmitha 🌸🌋🎻May 1, 2023

@anirvan I really appreciate your efforts, with much of Asian American history focusing on E. Asia - knowing our history is so important.

(And I relate more to Indian American history/social/cultural stuff than most things related to India proper, for various reasons. So this is particularly meaningful for me. <3)

Show threadAnirvan ChatterjeeMay 1, 2023

@smitha Thank you! You might also enjoy SAADA’s Tides blog, which tells stories from South Asian American history, written by a mix of academic historians and archival fellows.

There are all kinds of weird and wonderful gems in there, and it's pretty accessible to regular readers.

https://www.saada.org/tides

Tides: Magazine of the South Asian American Digital Archive

South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
Show threadAnirvan ChatterjeeMay 1, 2023

@smitha SAADA also runs an occasional South Asian American history walking tour of Philadelphia: https://www.saada.org/revolutionremix

It might cover, for example, Anandibai Joshi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anandi_Gopal_Joshi

Revolution Remix

South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)