Transcript New Identities in the New Ethnic Politics: The Rise of

Identities in the New Ethnic
Politics:
The Rise of “Pan-ethnicity”
Political Science 61 /
Chicano/Latino Studies 64
October 9, 2007
Today’s Topic
Pan-ethnicity:
The Final Pillar of Contemporary
Minority Politics
Pan-Ethnicity
 Definition – an ethnic identity defined by region,
not country, of origin
 Examples—Asian American or Latino
 U.S. ethnicities traditionally understood in national terms
 Intergroup cooperation among multiple nationalorigin groups
 Political – building a political agenda or movement
around this regional identity and shared policy
needs
General Rule 1:
U.S. Ethnic Identities Fluid
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Immigrants learn U.S. conceptions of their identity
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19th Century European immigrants immigrated with subnational/regional identities … and, became “national
ethics” from newly forming countries
Institutions (church, politics, neighborhood) reinforced
national identities
Meaning and racial conception of European national
identities changed over time
Exception – African migrants to slavery had most
national or regional roots taken from them and
were always understood racially
General Rule 2: Ethnic Identities
Diminish Over 2nd/3rd
Generations
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Intermarriage quickly blurs “pure” national
origin categories
Other identities blur ethnic distinctions
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Religion
Race
Ideology
Immigrant generation
In other words, local institutions see
diminished ability to maintain identities
At Least Until
Contemporary Era
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Immigration from high sending countries
slows/stops after 20-30 years
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Allows the 2nd/3rd generation to reshape national
origin identity to ethnic identity
In current era, however, Mexican
immigration high since the 1950s
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Several other national-origin groups will soon see
a third generation
General Rule 3: Counting
is Highly Contested
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Census inconsistent in measuring race and ethnicity
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Race and ethnicity are socially constructed, so no
consistent understanding of categories
Generally behind mass practices
Ethnic group leaders have sought to avoid categorization
as a racial group
Today’s controversies (see Prewitt reading)
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Latinos as “ethnic,” not racial category
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At mass level, many Latinos identify racially
Arab/Middle Eastern racial category
Multi-racial self-identification
Contemporary Pan-Ethnicity
is Substantively Different
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Government has promoted
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VRA an example
Government collects data to measure pan-ethnicity, so
relative status can be measured
Access to some state resources allocated by
race/ethnicity
Ethnic leaders organize pan-ethnically
Sustained immigration creates foundation for more
durable identities across generations
Communications ensure that immigrants know
about U.S. ethnic categories before migration
U.S. Population by Race,
2000
White
Black
Asian American
Native American
Multiple Races
Hispanic and non-Hispanic
Population, 2000
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic
White
Non-Hispaic Other
But, Pan-Ethnicity the
Exception at the Mass Level
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Low affect across national origin populations within
pan-ethnic groups
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to choose (Webster's Dictionary)
Traditionally, little contact between Asian Americans
or Latinos
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Affect—To show a fondness for; to like to use or practice;
Latinos and Asian Americans increasingly living around
each other
Perception of “common” Latino or Asian American
culture low by Latinos or Asian Americans
When Does a Pan-ethnic
Identity Form?
Felix Padilla (“On the Nature of Latino Ethnicity”)
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Latinos (or Asian Americans) come into contact with
each other
Latinos (or Asian Americans) share experiences that
exclude them from majority communities
Latinos (or Asian Americans) of different origins work
together to address their common exclusion and form a
new identity based on shared struggle
Padilla—Latino (or Asian American) identity is
inherently political
Who is Likely to Adopt a
Pan-ethnic Identity?
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From Lien, Conway, and Wong (for Asian
Americans)
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Indians (relative to Chinese)
Asian Americans who perceive a shared Asian culture
Strong partisans
U.S. citizens
Involved in ethnic causes
Older people
Employed people
Negative predictors – Asian Americans who experienced
discrimination, 1st generation, women
Pan-Ethnic Identification
Among Asian Americans
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Chinese
Korean
Vietnamese
Japanese
Filipino
S. Asian
Share Identifying as Asian American
Source: Lien, Conway, and Wong
So, Why Does PanEthnicity Matter?
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Provides foundation for the allocation of state
resources
Majority populations increasingly view
minorities in pan-ethnic terms
Ethnic leaders organize pan-ethnically
So, pan-ethnic identification will grow among
Latinos and Asian Americans
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And other pan-ethnic populations?
For Next Time
The first essay is due next Tuesday. Be
prepared to discuss your thesis Thursday.
1)
QUESTION FOR READING – As
Reconstruction came to an end, African
Americans in the South lost rights they had
exercised.
2)
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Identify these rights and how they were taken
away.