Political participation in the multicultural city: A case study of Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans in Toronto and Los Angeles (Ontario, California)

This study looks at the political participation of racialized minorities, in particular Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans, in the multicultural cities of Toronto and Los Angeles. These cities are atypical of Canada and the United States but they represent the future of their cities given the continuing influx of non-white immigration into both countries. These cities and countries must face the challenges of these changing demographics and increasing non-white diversity and facilitate structural change based upon an anti-racist agenda. This agenda is in keeping with the stated goals of equality in both Canada and the United States. This study is conducted by examining ethnoculturally specific community groups that serve Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans as both forms of and facilitators of political participation. This examination takes the form of interviews with the leading representatives if these groups.; The participation of Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans must also be seen in the context of the historical legacy of racism and disenfranchisement faced by these groups as well as the current context of systemic racism. The racialization of Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans as "forever foreigners" has made substantive citizenship, that includes political participation and full access to political, economic and social institutions, more difficult to achieve. Given the fact that many of them are not involved in the mainstream politics of their cities and countries a broader definition of political participation is necessitated in order to fully explore the ways in which they resist political marginalization and combat systemic racism. This definition includes participation in ethnoculturally specific community groups, which can act as defensive organizations in the face of systemic racism, as one part of a coherent overall plan of increased political involvement. These groups work in parallel with mainstream democratic institutions and are places where most Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans find a 'level playing field' that is absent in mainstream institutions. They still represent a political process on the margins and therefore have both their present uses and limitations. What is needed is structural change in order to remove barriers that can prevent full participation by racialized minorities.