| This study examined the meaning and practice of civic participation among four immigrant communities. Four of the largest immigrant groups in the Washington metropolitan region were included: Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, and Salvadoran. Topics explored included: definition of civic participation; personal and community capacities required for civic participation; and similarities and differences in social organization of each immigrant community and its effect on patterns of civic participation. Individual interviews were used with participants selected because of their leadership and activism, knowledge of civic participation values and practices in mainstream U.S. society and in their culture, and familiarity with the English language. Findings revealed that, with few exceptions, Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Salvadoran leaders who are currently involved in activities to address common concerns facing their communities and in political events consider what they do civic participation. They believe that their community members, however, are more likely to consider informal acts of mutual support in their own communities, and not political activities, as civic participation. This study also found that immigrants are generally more active civically in their own communities than in mainstream U.S. society. Indian immigrants are distinct from the other three immigrant groups because the majority of them speak English and were already exposed to democratic values in their home country, enabling them to participate more easily in U.S. civic institutions. All four communities are in need of an infrastructure that enables leadership development, organizing of collective actions, mobilization of resources, and advocacy. These communities, particularly the Chinese community, could benefit from a stronger sense of community and a stronger spirit of volunteerism in order to develop a more stable foundation for building this infrastructure. Immigrant organizations played a role in their members' ability to become civic participants in mainstream U.S. institutions because of the opportunities they provided for developing the capacities required for participation. Further, bicultural and bilingual leaders and bridge builders were required to link immigrant organizations to resources and opportunities in mainstream U.S. society. This study has implications for understanding immigrant civic participation, including the measure of their participation, the benefits and costs of their participation, and the role of immigrant organizations in facilitating or hindering participation. |
