To Be or Not to Be a Heathen? Christianity in the Eyes of Chinese Immigrants in the United States on the Example of Wong Chin Foo’s and Yan Phou Lee’s Works
Abstract
Chinese immigration to the United States of America in the 19th century was often driven by financial reasons, and it has been approached in the subject literature from this very perspective. Focusing on this aspect, however, may lead to overlooking Chinese intellectuals who studied and published in America during that period. Examples include the essay „Why Am I Heathen”, published by Wong Chin Foo in 1887, wherein holding on to ‘the old religion’ was advocated, and the response to it, promoting Christianity, and published by Yan Phou Lee under the polemic title „Why I Am Not a Heathen: A Rejoinder to Wong Chin Foo.” The comparison of opinions expressed by these two authors allows for the reconstruction of the intellectual horizons of the American social milieu of the day, revealing what stereotypes were in circulation, especially with regard to the Subaltern (‘the marginalized, oppressed and subjugated others’). These analyses not only demonstrate how strongly religious beliefs (and values thus implied) were linked to the social life of the day but also how both the national economy and home affairs were permeated by motifs stemming from this linkage.
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