Vēta Schlimgen

I study the stories produced by the crossing of borders and boundaries in the 20^th century United States. From geo-political and legal borders to social and cultural boundaries, my research is centered on the movement of people into the United States and the transitions they underwent as migrants, residents, or new citizens. At the same time, I also investigate the emigration of Americans out of the continental United States, especially those who migrated to and settled in the Pacific.

My research on Filipina/os as non-citizen ”American nationals” provides the first history of this curious colonial status. This study, Neither Citizens Nor Aliens, investigates the stories and experiences of mainland Filipina/os in the first half of the 20th century, when the Philippines was a U.S. colony. The study provides insights into how the United States built and maintained an empire and how Filipina/os grappled with the challenges of imperialism, nativism, and shifting racial ideologies. The project contributes to scholarship on citizenship and colonialism, immigration and ethnic studies, and the U.S. in the Pacific world.

My current research project similarly contributes to studies of the Pacific world as well as to racial and ethnic studies through an examination of U.S. decolonization efforts in the decades since the Second World War.