Asian Americans are widely believed to be passive and compliant participants in the U.S. political process -- if they participate at all. In this ground-breaking book, Pei-te Lien maps the actions and strategies of Asian Americans as they negotiate a space in the American political arena.
Professor Lien looks at political participation by Asian Americans prior to 1965 and examines, at both organizational and mass-politics levels, how race, ethnicity, and transnationalism help to construct a complex American electorate. She looks not only at rates of participation among Asian Americans as compared with Blacks, Latinos, American Indians, and non-Hispanic whites, but also among specific groups of Asian Americans -- Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Koreans, Asian Indians, and Vietnamese. She also discusses how gender, socioeconomic class, and place of birth affect political participation.
With documentation ranging from historical narrative to opinion survey data, Professor Lien creates a picture of a diverse group of politically active people who are intent on carving out a place for themselves in American political life.

List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Charting a Hidden Terrain: Historical Struggles for Inclusion and Justice Prior to the Era of Civil Rights and Electoral Politics
2. Constructing a Community That (Almost) Cannot Be: Contemporary Movements Toward Liberation and Empowerment—After 1965
3. Participation in Electoral Politics: Evolving Patterns in Hawaii and Mainland States
4. How Can We All Get Along? Cross-Racial Coalition-Building Possibilities and Barriers
5. What Ties That Bind? Comparing Political Attitudes and Behavior Across Major Asian American Groups
6. Linking Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender: Asian American Women and Political Participation
Conclusion
Appendix: Researching Asian American Political Behavior with Sample Surveys: A Methodological Report
Notes
References
Index

Pei-te Lien is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Ethnic Studies at the University of Utah.