Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2018

The Definition of “Race” and American Exclusionism Relating to Southeast European Immigrants （1880-1924）(Abstract)

Wu Bin

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the definition of “race” in the context of American exclusion of Southeast European immigrants was not the same as the biological definition we are familiar with. It focused not on the representation of biological features but on imaginary constructs and interpretations based on a racist ideology. This meant that in the US, “race,” like “freedom,” “democracy” and “equality” and other abstract concepts, was quite flexible. According to that definition, Southeast European immigrants belonged to inferior “non-white” breeds; failure to restrict their immigration would not only taint the blood of white Anglo-Saxons, but also destroy American freedom and democracy. Together with so-called “scientific support,” this offered a powerful theoretical basis for American exclusionism that attained a peak. Exclusionists and the mass media provided extensive public support, forcing US immigration restrictions to an extreme that would limit or exclude immigrants from Southeastern Europe.