Empire's Tracks

Department of Asian American Studies, UCLA

In this talk, Dr. Manu Karuka will give an overview of his new book, Empire's Tracks: Indigenous Nations, Chinese Workers, and the Transcontinental Railroad (University of California Press, 2019).  Empire’s Tracks boldly reframes the history of the transcontinental railroad from the perspectives of the Cheyenne, Lakota, and Pawnee Native American tribes, and the Chinese migrants who toiled on its path. In this meticulously researched book, Karuka situates the railroad within the violent global histories of colonialism and capitalism. Through an examination of legislative, military, and business records, Karuka deftly explains the imperial foundations of U.S. political economy. Tracing the shared paths of Indigenous and Asian American histories, this multi-sited interdisciplinary study connects military occupation to exclusionary border policies, a linked chain spanning the heart of U.S. imperialism.  
Manu Karuka is an assistant professor of American Studies at Barnard College. His work centers a critique of imperialism, with a particular focus on anti-racism and Indigenous decolonization.  
Following the talk, Dr. Karuka will be hosting a workshop for students from 5:00-6:00pm in Rolfe 2125.  Snacks will be provided.  
Host: Asian American Studies Department at UCLA Co-sponsors: American Indian Studies Program, American Indian Studies Center, Asian American Studies Center, Institute of American Cultures, Center for the Study of International Migration, Asia Pacific Center, History Department, Geography Department, Urban Planning Department, UCLA Labor Center, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, Pacific Southwest University Transportation Center, Center for Chinese Studies UCLA acknowledges the Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands) and are grateful to have the opportunity to work for the taraaxatom (indigenous peoples) in this place. As a land grant institution, we pay our respects to Honuukvetam (Ancestors), 'Ahiihirom (Elders), and 'eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present, and emerging. RSVP:

Charles E. Young Research Library, Main Conference Room

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Empire's Tracks

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