The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics

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Mae Ngai is the Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and a professor of history at Columbia University. She is a U.S. legal and political historian interested in the histories of immigration, citizenship, nationalism, and the Chinese diaspora. Her latest book, The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics, was winner of the 2022 Bancroft Prize. This distinguished history of the Chinese diaspora and global capitalism chronicles how a feverish alchemy of race and money brought Chinese people to the West and reshaped the nineteenth century. She is author of the award-winning book Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America and The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America. Before becoming a historian, Ngai was a labor-union organizer and educator in New York City, New York, working for District 65-UAW and the Consortium for Worker Education.

About the Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series

For twenty-five years, the Oregon Historical Society has presented the Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series, bringing together the nation’s top historians and award-winning authors for thought-provoking evenings of history. The series began at the suggestion of Senator Hatfield and continues as a tribute to his legacy of public service and as an opportunity to share stories of the people and events that have shaped history. Past speakers include notable historians and authors Heather Cox Richardson, David McCullough, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Jon Meacham, Cokie Roberts, and Isabel Wilkerson.

2023 Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series Speakers

• Nina Totenberg | February 2, 2023
  Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships
• Mae Ngai | March 28, 2023
  The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics
• Douglas Brinkley | April 18, 2023
  Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening
• Peniel E. Joseph | May 23, 2023
  The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century

Tickets & Pricing

Tickets to the four-part 2023 Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series go on sale to members on Thursday, October 20 and to the public on Thursday, November 10. Single lecture tickets go on sale Thursday, January 19 at 10am.

A $5 processing fee will be added by Portland’5 at checkout. All other service fees included in listed prices.

Virtual-only tickets can be purchased through OHS here. Virtual ticketholders will be able to livestream the event as well as have access to a recording.

All ticketholders will be emailed a recording of the lecture (closed captioning included) 48 hours after the event. The recording will be available for 14 days.

All sales are final. If you wish to donate your tickets and receive a receipt for tax purposes, please email HatfieldSeries@ohs.org with details on which ticket(s) you wish to donate.

Updated Health & Safety Guidelines

We will not be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test result for the 2023 Series. We encourage all event attendees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and support those who choose to wear a mask due to their own underlying health conditions or out of consideration for others.

Accessible Ticket Options

Student Tickets: Discounted tickets are available for students for $10. Bring your student photo ID to the Portland’5 Box Office to purchase tickets.

Arts for All Tickets: Discounted tickets are available for Oregon Trail Card holders through the Arts for All program for $5. Bring your Oregon Trail Card to the Portland’5 Box Office to purchase tickets.