Access Restrictions
Use Restrictions
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biographical Note
Processing Information
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Related Material
Title: Iris Chang papers
Identifier/Call Number: CEMA 39
Language of Material: The collection is predominantly in English, with some material in Chinese.
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Physical Description:
33.5 Linear Feet
(66 boxes)
Creator:
Chang, Iris
Date (inclusive): 1923-2004
Date (bulk): 1980-1995
Abstract: The Iris Chang Papers consist primarily of her research materials from her work on
Thread of the Silkworm with a few files which may have been used for
The Rape of Nanking and
The Chinese in America. The content is broken down according to Chang's own notes. Chang was a meticulous researcher and her files are arranged
according to subject matter, and are labeled according to her own methods. The series consists of 66 boxes and includes photographs
and digital image files.
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Research Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item] Iris Chang Papers, CEMA 39. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library,
University of California, Santa Barbara.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Iris Chang on July 2, 1995.
Biographical Note
"Maybe the best young historian we've got, because she understands that to communicate history, you've got to tell the story
in an interesting way." - Stephen Ambrose
Up until her untimely death in 2004 at the age of 36, Iris Chang was widely considered one of America's leading Chinese American
historians and authors. Chang's first book,
Thread of the Silkworm, a study of how Cold-war hysteria influenced American foreign policy, won her instant acclaim.
Thread of the Silkworm, is the story of Dr. Tsien Hsue-shen. Born in China, educated at MIT and Cal Tech, who after 15 years of major contribution
to American missile technology in research and design, was branded a Communist and deported to China. In China, Tsien went
on to advance the Chinese missile program, developing the legendary Silkworm missile.
Thread of the Silkworm details the imprisonment of Tsien Hsue-shen during the McCarthy era, an event with long lasting repercussions for America's
future.
Born in Princeton, New Jersey, and growing up in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, Iris Chang earned a bachelor's degree in journalism
from the University of Illinois in 1989. In college, she became widely known as the woman who always got the job that everyone
wanted. She was published in the New York Times as a college stringer often enough that the New York Times had to discontinue
her, lest they appear to favor the news from Illinois. She worked as a reporter for the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune
and received her graduate degree in writing from the Johns Hopkins University in 1992.
Her second book,
The Rape of Nanking, was an international bestseller. Chang created an in-depth and revealing look at one of the most tragic chapters of World
War II. Published by Basic Books in 1997,
The Rape of Nanking remained on the New York Times bestseller list for several months, became a New York Times Notable Book, and was cited by
Bookman Review Syndicate as one of the best books of 1997. Chang felt compelled to write the book after her experience in
1994 at a conference in Cupertino. She wrote of the experience, "I walked around in shock, though I had heard so much about
the Nanking massacre as a child, nothing prepared me for these pictures, stark black-and-white images of decapitated heads,
bellies ripped open and nude women forced by their rapists into various pornographic poses, their faces contorted into unforgettable
expressions of agony and shame. In a single blinding moment I recognized the fragility of not just life but the human experience
itself."
Iris Chang's awards include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Program on Peace and International Cooperation
Award, the Woman of the Year award from the Organization of Chinese Americans, and two honorary doctorates (the College of
Wooster in Ohio, and California State University at Hayward). Chang has been featured on radio, television and in print media,
including Nightline, the Jim Lehrer News Hour, Charlie Rose, Good Morning America, C-Span's Book notes, and the front cover
of Reader's Digest. She was a tireless speaker, always eager and willing to educate others.
Processing Information
Processed by Alexander Hauschild, 2007. Callie Bowdish, 2008. Janet Chen, 2012. Updated by Mari Khasmanyan and Lauren Cain,
2015.
Scope and Content
The Iris Chang Papers consist primarily of her research materials from her work on
Thread of the Silkworm with a few files which may have been used for
The Rape of Nanking and
The Chinese in America. The content is broken down according to Chang's own notes. Chang was a meticulous researcher and her files are arranged
according to subject matter and are labeled according to her own methods. The series consists of 66 boxes and includes photographs
and digital image files.
Arrangement
Series I: Biographical files. 1996-2002. Consists of a half-box of newspaper articles written about Iris Chang, three boxes of photographs from Iris Chang's life
arranged chronologically, and an electronic digital image archive of 4,442 image files stored on the CEMA Intranet. These
images cover her personal and professional life from 1963-2004, including photographs of her with the subjects of her interviews
in China and photographs from her family's collection.
Series II:
Thread of the Silkworm Chapter Files, Research Files.
Consists of 46 boxes of files collected specifically for research into
Thread of the Silkworm. The files were arranged by Iris Chang. Bulk dates for the materials have been recorded. The series contains several sub
series.
Subseries Tsien Hsue-shen Biographical Research consists of 6 boxes. These boxes contain files pertaining to research into
people and places associated with Tsien Hsue-shen.
Subseries Nexus/Lexus Articles and Chinese Articles for
Thread of the Silkworm consists of three boxes of articles collected by Chang for her research into
Thread of the Silkworm. One box is in Chinese.
Subseries Tsien Hsue-shen Research (Chronological) consists of three boxes of research files arranged chronologically by Chang.
Subseries Correspondence (Alphabetized) consists of eleven boxes arranged and labeled by Chang as correspondence, alphabetized.
The materials include institutional documents from diverse sources such as the ACLU, C.I.T. and the Eisenhower Library.
Subseries Consultants, are two boxes of research from consultants. Subseries Science Files for Tsien Book. This series consists
of three boxes of files containing technical research for
Thread of the Silkworm.
Series III: Chinese Nuclear Programs and Proliferation. Consists of five boxes of materials, mostly articles researching proliferation of missile and nuclear technology from China
around the world.
Series IV: McCarthyism and POWs. Consists of 7 boxes of materials focusing on anti-communist materials. This series includes ephemera from a German language
book about Nanking, as well as several subject files.
Series V: Oversize. Consists of two boxes containing various files including original news copy and mounted awards given to Iris Chang. Articles
are arranged chronologically.
Series VI: Books Used for Research. This series lists the books chosen by Chang to use during her research. Books can be found on UCSB's Search catalog, MELVYL
or WorldCat.org.
Related Material
Researchers may also wish to consult the Iris Chang papers, housed in the Hoover Institute located at Stanford University.
Those materials document her research on the history of the Chinese in America, the human rights violations in Nanking (1937-1938)
and individual interviews with American military personnel who served in the Pacific during World War II.
An additional collection on Iris Chang, titled the Iris Chang papers is also housed at the University of Illinois. Please
see: Iris Chang Papers, University of Illinois Archives Record Series 26/20/122.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Asian American Women
Asian American women in literature