Chinese immigrants helped establish America’s foothold on the western coast, yet few of us know what life looked like for those Chinese people who came to live in the US. In this episode, Beth Lew-Williams joins us to discuss her new book, John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life Under American Racial Law, which blends extensive archival research with new technologies to illuminate stories that have long been buried in our history.

Beth Lew-Williams is Professor of History at Princeton University and a recipient of the 2025 Dan David Prize.

If you enjoy this episode make sure to check out our conversations with previous Dan David Prize winners: Women and American Slavery w/ Stephanie E. Jones Rogers (#270) and The Archaeology of Dust w/ Anita Radini (#269).

This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.