Chinese Labour in South Africa, 1902–10: Race, Violence, and Global Spectacle

277 Pages·2013·1.859 MB·English

by  Rachel K. Bright (auth.)

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Chinese Labour in South
Africa, 1902–10
Race, Violence, and Global Spectacle
Rachel K. Bright
©RachelK.Bright2013
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-0-230-30377-5
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Contents
ListofTables vi
ListofImages vii
Acknowledgements viii
AcronymsandAbbreviations x
Introduction 1
1 ChineseMigrationand‘White’Networks,c.1850–1902 8
2 TheTransvaalLabour‘Problem’andtheChineseSolution 22
3 GreaterBritaininSouthAfrica:ColonialNationalismsand
ImperialNetworks 38
4 AQuestionofHonour:Slavery,Sovereignty,andtheLegal
Framework 70
5 Sex,Violence,andtheChinese:The1905–06MoralPanic 95
6 AdaptingtheStereotype:RaceandAdministrativeControl 141
7 PoliticalRepercussions:Self-GovernmentRevisited 160
Conclusion:RacialisingEmpire 185
Appendix:ListofKeyFigures 191
Notes 197
Bibliography 240
Index 262
v
Tables
4.1 NumbersofChineselabourersimportedannually 91
4.2 CMLIAMembership:NumbersofChineseimportedper
mininggroup 91
4.3 Distributionofalllabourby‘race’onthemines 92
4.4 ListofMinesutilisingChineselabour 93
7.1 RepatriationsofChineselabourersattheendoftheir
contracts,1907–10 175
vi
Images
1 ‘TwixttheJewandtheChow’(c.1903) 133
2 PostcardofChineselabourers(c.1906) 134
3 ‘TheCelestialandhisbride’(c.1906) 135
4 PicturereprintedfromWilliamCharlesScully(c.1906) 136
5 ‘AJohannesburgOpiumDen’(c.1906) 137
6 ‘ChineseLabour’,BritishConservativePartyelection
poster(c.1905) 138
7 ‘TheWar’sResult:ChineseSlavery’,BritishLiberalParty
electionposter(c.1905) 139
8 ‘ChineseorSeparation’(c.1906) 140
vii
Acknowledgements
IwouldliketogivespecialthankstomyPhDsupervisor,AndrewPorter,
aswellasSaulDubowandHilarySapire,whosequestionsandcomments
contributedsomuchtoadaptingthisfrommyPhD.DavidBirmingham
introduced me to South African history and his encouragement was
invaluable. I have drawn many ideas and much support from various
academic communities over the last few years. The Postcolonial and
ColonialWorkshopwhichEsmeCleall,EmilyManktelow,andIfounded
attheIHR(InstituteofHistoricalResearch)hasbeenausefulintellectual
forum,andIwishtothankallattendees.TheGlobalandImperialHis-
torySeminargroupattheIHRwasequallyinvaluableinlisteningtomy
ideas and encouraging me in so many ways. I would especially like to
thank David Killingray, John Stuart, Jon Wilson, Richard Drayton, and
SarahStockwell.
Several colleagues, friends, and teachers also deserve thanks for
their advice: Andrew Dilley, for his enthusiasm and insight into eco-
nomic history; Robert Bickers, for his immense help with China and
Chinese; Anthony Howe, for his guidance on British politics; Esme
Cleall,forallthosechatsaboutcomplicatedtheoriesandothermatters;
Kent Fedorowich, for his encouragement and stimulation concerning
the British World. I also need to thank Joanna Lewis, Larry Butler,
VincentKuitenbrouwer,IanPhimister,JonathanSaha,AnnaGust,Laura
Ishiguro,KarenHunt,KelceySwain,andFrankBongiorno.MichaelGalt
will always have my immense gratitude for his support over the years.
Icouldnothaveevenattemptedsuchaglobalperspectiveifnotforthe
reading suggestions, translation skills, and general advice of these peo-
ple.IalsofeelagreatdealofgratitudetomystudentsatLSE,Goldsmith’s
andKeele;theirenthusiasmhassoofteninspiredmetore-examinekey
aspectsofthiswork.
It is also essential to thank King’s College London, the University of
London Central Research Fund, and the Royal Historical Society Post-
graduate Research Funding for financing my doctoral research trips to
South Africa and Oxford, in addition to Dutch-language classes. I also
wish to thank the staff at the British Library, the British National
Archives in Kew, Rhodes House and the Bodleian Library, the Cham-
ber of Mines, Johannesburg, and all the libraries within the University
viii
Acknowledgements ix
of London, UK, especially at the School of Oriental and African Stud-
ies. In particular, I must thank the friendly and helpful staff at the
British Library Newspaper Archives, the National Archives of South
Africa in Pretoria, the Library of South Africa in Cape Town, and the
fulsome access I was given to the private archives of Barlow World in
Johannesburg.
None of this would have been possible without the support of my
family.Thankyou.
Keele,2013