Yunhe Wu

Dr. Yunhe Wu is a Lecturer in the Department of History at Washington State University, specializing in the American West, Chinese Diaspora, Pacific Ocean history, and the History of Social Justice. She is affiliated with the Roots of Contemporary Issues program and focuses on transnational studies of gender, race, and citizenship in the Progressive Era.

• Ph.D., Kent State University, History (2024)
• M.A., State University of New York at Buffalo, History (2017)
• B.A., Beijing Normal University, History & English Language and Literature (2013)

Her research explores the intersection of Chinese masculinity and American citizenship in California (1865–1919), particularly how anti-Chinese racial prejudices in U.S. immigration policy influenced gender dynamics within Cantonese communities. A second project examines Cantonese women and American prostitution through a transnational lens, highlighting agency, police systems, and social barriers.

Dr. Wu is committed to supporting first-generation college students, drawing from her upbringing in a working-class ethnic minority community in China. She is currently finalizing her book manuscript Becoming Chinese American Men (under contract with University of Nebraska Press).