Mahjong! How a Chinese Game Shaped Modern American Culture

Tuesday, March 4  |  5:30–6:45 p.m.
Berman Room, Fromm Hall

The USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies welcomes Annelise Heinz, assistant professor of History at the University of Oregon to campus to discuss how the Chinese game of mahjong has shaped modern American culture.

In her talk, Professor Heinz explores the American history of the Chinese parlor game mahjong. She charts a complex cultural journey as the game’s history connects American expatriates in Shanghai, Jazz Age white Americans, urban Chinese Americans in the 1930s, incarcerated Japanese Americans in wartime, Jewish American suburban mothers, and Air Force officers’ wives in the postwar era. Her talk follows the history of the game, encouraging us to think about how individuals create and experience cultural change in their daily lives.