Within the Gaps: Intracommunity Voices in Chinese Canadian and Korean Canadian Records
December 10, 2024 to February 9, 2025
Asian Library, Asian Centre
1871 West Mall, UBC Vancouver
Re-posted from UBC Asian Library Blog
The UBC Asian Library and UBC Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) are excited to present “Within the Gaps: Intracommunity Voices in Chinese Canadian and Korean Canadian Records.” This exhibition, which is located at Asian Library, Asian Centre, has been made possible through the Asian Canadian Research and Engagement (ACRE) Faculty Initiatives Grant. The project explores how communities are filled with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and voices. The exhibition brings forward voices from Chinese Canadian and Korean Canadian records that touches on the polyvocality of these communities in British Columbia.
The Chinese Canadian section of the exhibit considers the Janet Smith murder: a famous cold case from the 1920s in which Wong Foon Sing (黃煥勝), a Chinese houseboy, was charged with the murder of housemaid Janet Smith. While most narratives focus on uncovering the real murderer, this exhibit re-shifts the focus to Wong Foon Sing. Charged for a murder in which he was never a serious suspect, Wong’s silencing and abuse by civil authorities reflect the turbulent environment surrounding race, class, and systemic corruption in 1920s Vancouver. RBSC houses the records of three individuals related to the case, but this exhibit provides a unique opportunity to view the material on display. By showing the records of these three figures—who all occupy positions of power—the exhibit encourages viewers to reflect on the voices not represented in these records, as well as the complexities within a given community that cannot be wholly represented by a single spokesperson from that community. This exhibit also features replicated pages from scrapbooks belonging to the Wongs’ Benevolent Association in hopes of foregrounding voices that have been undermined in dominant narratives of the Janet Smith case.
The Korean Canadian section of the exhibit explores the disparate accounts of Korean Canadians in British Columbia. This history is constructed through a reflection on how gaps are perceived in the sources available on Korean Canadian history. On display are records of early academics at the University of British Columbia in the 1950s and 1960s, records of Korean church members, and accounts of the Korean Canadian community from individuals themselves. This display asks viewers to see several Korean Canadian experiences by viewing different feelings, thoughts, and descriptions from within and without the community. This exhibit features reproductions from the Pacific Mountain Regional Council Archives of the United Church of Canada to highlight community voices and link back to stories found in the University of British Columbia Archives and RBSC (specifically, the Korean Canadian Heritage Archive and Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection).
Overall, this exhibition hopes to dispel the notion of communities as simple monoliths and instead, highlight the complex range of voices within a given community. How do we understand the categories “Asian Canadian,” “Chinese Canadian,” and “Korean Canadian”? Where do gaps exist in the voices of those communities? When do those voices become valuable, and who determines the value? Who is listening?
Additional resources:
- [Report on funds raised and expenses for the defense of Wong Foon Sing]. CC_TX_279_020. https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0354895
- [Scrapbooks] from Foon Sien Wong fonds. RBSC-ARC-1628-01-01. https://rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/scrapbooks-1970
- Korean Canadians. CC-TX-300-54-p.25. From https://rbscarchives-tst.library.ubc.ca/at-first-a-dream-one-hundred-years-of-race-relations-in-vancouver