Institute of Governmental Studies

This project explores the motivations and expression of Chinese American civic and political engagement in ethnic suburbs. The suburb of Fremont is at the center of this investigation, but Chinese Americans from other suburbs are interviewed as well in order to provide a point of comparison. Contrary to popular belief that Chinese Americans under-participate in American civil society, this study finds that Chinese Americans are in fact very established in civil society and politically expressive, but their participation is unconventional. Even in locations with a high concentration of Chinese Americans, they lack a sense of group consciousness and communal motivations. Instead, these suburban Chinese Americans become politically mobilized or civically engaged for instrumental and individual reasons.