Prof Yii-Jan Lin, Yale: "The Use of Revelation in American Immigration History"

From European discovery to the present, America has been imagined as a heavenly destination—as the New Jerusalem of the Book of Revelation. This apocalyptic metaphor and the narratives and images of Revelation have played a significant role in American discourses about national identity and its attitudes toward immigrant groups. This talk examines the America-as-New Jerusalem metaphor and its role in anti-immigrant movements, focusing on anti-Chinese discourse in particular.