An Archival Resource: INS Case Files on Chinese Women in the American Midwest

In conducting research on Chinese women in the United States during the Chinese exclusion period (1882-1943), historians have concentrated on women residing on the East and West Coasts. By examining the use of the Midwest region's Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Chinese case files, this article broadens the geographical scope of research. The author focuses on how to interpret information embedded in the entire collection and in women's individual case files. The Midwestern collection allows scholars to assess the bureaucratic approaches for processing immigrants, and, perhaps more important, reveals the resourcefulness of immigrant strategies in response to INS investigations.