William Gow

Bio

William Gow is a San Francisco-based historian, educator, and documentary filmmaker. His research interests include Asian American history, race and visual culture, and the history of California in the Pacific World. His current book project, tentatively entitled "Performing Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Los Angeles Community," examines the social, economic, and political contexts through which representations of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles were produced and consumed during the Chinese exclusion era. The book project draws on oral histories, archival research, and analysis of film and related visual culture.

A proud product of San Francisco’s public school system, William holds an MA in Asian American Studies from UCLA and a PhD in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley. Prior to entering his doctoral program, William worked for eight years as a high school history teacher in California. He also served as a community historian with the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California in Los Angeles Chinatown. His documentary More to the Chinese Side (co-directed with Sharon Heijin Lee in 2003) was a finalist for the Golden Reel Award at the Visual Communications Asian American Film Festival in Los Angeles. The video is a first-person examination of his family history, mixed race identity, and Chinese American community. His writing and research have appeared in a variety of publications including Pacific Historical Review, Amerasia Journal, and the CHSSC's Gum Saan Journal.

In 2019, the Western History Association awarded William the Vicki Ruiz Award for Best Journal article on Race in the North American West for his essay, "A Night in Old Chinatown: American Orientalism, China Relief Fundraising, and the 1938 Moon Festival in Los Angeles" published in Pacific Historical Review.

Academic Appointments

• Lecturer, American Studies

Honors & Awards

• Vicki L Ruiz Award, Best journal article on race in the North American West, Western History Association (2019)

Professional Education

• BFA, New York University
• MA, University of California, Los Angeles
• PhD, University of California, Berkeley

2020-21 Courses

• Asian American Film and Popular Culture
  AMSTUD 115 (Spr)
• Doing Community History: Asian Americans and the Pandemic
  AMSTUD 200R, ASNAMST 201, HISTORY 200R (Aut)
• Introduction to Asian American History
  AMSTUD 261W, HISTORY 261E (Sum)
• Introduction to Asian American Studies
  AMSTUD 100, ASNAMST 100 (Aut)
• Los Angeles: A Cultural History
  AMSTUD 148 (Win)
• Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Contemporary American Film
  AFRICAAM 117J, AMSTUD 117, ASNAMST 117D, CSRE 117D, FEMGEN 117F (Win)
• Service Learning Practicum
  EDUC 98 (Win)
• Independent Studies (2)
  • Directed Reading
    ASNAMST 200W (Aut)
  • Individual Work
    AMSTUD 195 (Win)
• Prior Year Courses

  2019-20 Courses

  • Asian American Film and Popular Culture
    AMSTUD 115, ASNAMST 115 (Spr)
  • Critical Family History: Narratives of Identity and Difference
    AFRICAAM 118X, AMSTUD 118, ASNAMST 118S, CSRE 118S (Win)
  • Intro to Asian American Studies
    AMSTUD 100, ASNAMST 100 (Aut)
  • Introduction to Asian American History
    AMSTUD 261W, HISTORY 261E (Win)
  • Los Angeles: A Cultural History
    AMSTUD 148 (Spr)
  • Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Contemporary American Film
    AFRICAAM 117J, AMSTUD 117, ASNAMST 117D, CSRE 117D, FEMGEN 117F (Aut)
  • Service Learning Practicum
    EDUC 98 (Win)

  2018-19 Courses

  • Asian American Film and Popular Culture
    AMSTUD 115, ASNAMST 115 (Aut)
  • Exploring Race and Ethnicity through Family History
    AMSTUD 118, CSRE 118S (Spr)
  • Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Contemporary American Film
    AMSTUD 117, CSRE 117D, FEMGEN 117F (Win)