Asian American Studies Commons^™

From Citizens To Elected Representatives: The Political Trajectory Of Asian American Pacific Islanders By 2040, Christine Chen, James Lai, Karthick Ramakrishnan, Alton Wang

Ethnic Studies

The political power of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) has increased steadily in the United States. By 2040, one in ten Americans will be AAPI, and the number of Asian Americans registered to vote will have doubled (Ong, Ong, and Ong, 2016). This section examines the growing AAPI electorate and projects a trajectory for AAPI civic engagement and political participation from now until 2040. By looking at trends and projections for citizenship, voter registration, voter turnout, elected officials, and political infrastructure, the authors illustrate that AAPI political empowerment will have even a greater influence on the future of American …

From Central Cities To Ethnoburbs: Asian American Political Incorporation In The San Francisco Bay Area, James Lai

Ethnic Studies

Asian Americans are increasingly more active and visible in local politics, extending beyond central city limits. While central cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, and New York City remain vibrant 21st-century gateways for contemporary Asian immigrants and community formation, a majority of the U.S. Asian American population currently resides in suburban cities. Between 2000 and 2010, Asian American population growth in the suburbs reached 1.7 million, which was nearly four times the growth during the same period for those Asian Americans living in central cities. ¹ Approximately 62 percent of the U.S. Asian American population is situated …

Multiplexing Racial And Ethnic Planes: Chinese American Politics In Globalized Immigrant Suburbs, James Lai

Ethnic Studies

Contemporary American suburbs offer critical insights into the multiple planes of racial and ethnic consciousness and community formations that shape new Chinese American political agendas. In a 2009 Amerasia Journal article entitled "A New Gateway: Asian American Political Power in the 21st Century," I examined the importance of location for understanding the ability of Asian American communities to attain and sustain elected representation. Like real estate, location matters in explaining the political question of "where" Asian Americans are winning elected representation in American politics. That article's thesis was that, rather than focusing solely on metropolitan gateways that had been central …

Voting Behavior And Political Participation, James Lai

Ethnic Studies

Asian Americans have been labeled as the "next sleeping giant" in American politics in key geopolitical states such as California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington. ¹ Much of this perception is fueled by the dramatic growth of Asian American communities in these and other states as a result of federal immigration reforms beginning in 1965. This section highlights the major areas of Asian American political participation and behavior that will likely determine whether Asian American politics will live up to this label. These include voter behavior and turnout in local, state, and federal elections as recently as …

A New Gateway: Asian American Political Power In The 21st Century, James Lai

Ethnic Studies

Don T. Nakanishi's prescient 1985 Amerasia Journal essay, "Asian American Politics: An Agenda for Research" argued for an interdisciplinary approach to gain a better understanding of Asian American politics. His essay provided an integrated micro/macro and a domestic/transnational approach that was well ahead of its time. Nakanishi's timely essay would prove influential in defining future research parameters of the political behavior of Asian Americans. At the time of the essay's publication, Asians, compared to African Americans and Latinos, were not found in the extant political science literature. Nearly twenty-five years later, however, Nakanishi's interdisciplinary approach has become even more useful …

Review Of Contemporaryasian American Communities, Edited By Linda Vo And Rick Bonus, James Lai

Ethnic Studies

Many compilations have been published on Asian Pacific Americans over the past several years, but none have really challenged existing theoretical assumptions about the "everyday spaces" in contemporary Asian Pacific American communities until now. In Contemporary Asian American Communities: Intersections and Divergences, co-edited by Linda Trinh Vo and Rick Bonus, an array of scholars are challenging established scholarly notions about a wide range of topics including the meanings of community, sexual and multi-racial identities, professional and political networks, and new modes of cultural production for Asian Pacific Americans.

Beyond Symbolic Representation: A Comparison Of The Electoral Pathways And Policy Priorities Of Asian American And Latino Elected Officials, Kim Geron, James Lai

Ethnic Studies

This is an exploratory study of the impact of Latino and Asian American elected officials on their respective groups' political incorporation. The authors argue that Latino and Asian American elected officials' paths to elected office do not always fit the biracial coalition model of political incorporation for minorities, and instead suggest a reconstructed model to explain the distinctive character of Latino and Asian American group efforts toward political representation. The results of this paper are based on information gathered from two nationwide mail surveys of Latino elected officials (LEOs) and Asian American elected officials (AAEOs). The 2000 National Asian American …

Racially Polarized Voting And Its Effects On The Formation Of A Viable Latino-Asian Pacific Political Coalition, James Lai

Ethnic Studies

In "Paths To Political Incorporation For Latinos and Asian Pacifies in California," Steven P. Erie, Harold Brackman, and James Warren Ingram Ill (Erie et al.) examined the potentials and barriers for political incorporation of Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Pacifies in California. According to their findings, they argue that a bi-racial political coalition between Latinos and Asian Pacifies is likely based on the following factors: language and immigration issues. They stated:

Regarding a possible Latino alliance with Asian Pacifies, there appears to be a strong basis for collaboration on behalf of an immigrant rights agenda and in opposition to resurgent …