Dr. Mae Ngai

Professor

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Biography

Mae Ngai is the Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and a Professor of History at Columbia University. She is a U.S. legal political historian whose research interests encompass immigration, citizenship, nationalism, and the Chinese diaspora. Ngai is well-known for her award-winning books, including 'Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens Making Modern America' (2004), 'Lucky Ones: The Family Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America' (2010), and 'The Chinese Question: Gold Rushes and Global Politics' (2021). She has also co-edited the photographic anthology 'Corky Lee’s Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice' (2024). In addition to her scholarly publications, she has written extensively on immigration history and policy for major national outlets like the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Atlantic. Ngai has played an active role in labor education as a historian and labor-union organizer in New York City. Her upcoming work includes a book titled 'Nation of Immigrants: A Short History of the Idea' under contract with Princeton University Press.

Research Interests

Awards

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Fellowships Grants Russell Sage Foundation

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Lawrence Stone Lectures, Princeton University

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Shelby Collum Davis Historical Studies, Princeton University

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Kluge Chair Countries Cultures North, Library Congress

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University Lecture, Columbia

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Woodrow Wilson International Center Scholars

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OAH-AHRAC China Residency Program

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Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation International Scholarly Exchange

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Cullman Center Scholars Writers, New York Public Library

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Institute Advanced Study

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John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

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Huntington Library

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Radcliffe Institute Advanced Study, Harvard

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NYU Law School

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Social Science Research Council

Courses

Immigrants in American History Life (lecture) Colonization/Decolonization (undergraduate seminar) Transnational Migration and Citizenship (graduate/undergraduate seminar)

Requirements for Columbia University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Overall
Required:7.5
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or international equivalent
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Transcripts
  • Statement of Academic Purpose
  • Personal Statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • CV or Resume
  • Application fee
Specialization Notes

Department of Anthropology (GSAS)