Sarah Gold McBride · The Public Domain Review · 2025
Splitting Hairs: Chinese Immigrants, the Queue, and the Boundaries of Political Citizenship
As Chinese immigration to California accelerated across the 19th century, the hairstyle known as the queue — a long, braided pony tail — became the subject of white Americans’ fascination, disgust, and legal regulation.
Why we picked it
By following one hairstyle through courtrooms and popular imagery, McBride exposes how citizenship was policed through race, gender, labour, and bodily appearance.
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