Asian Americans are emerging as a political force and yet their politics have not been systematically studied by either social scientists or politicians. Asian American politics transcend simple questions of voting behavior and elective office, going all the way back to early immigration laws and all the way forward to ethnic targeting. For the first time, this book brings together original sources on key topics influencing Asian American politics, knit together by expert scholars who introduce each subject and place it in context with political events and the greater emerging literature. Court cases, legislation, demographics, and key pieces on topics ranging from gender to Japanese American redress to the Los Angeles riots to Wen Ho Lee round out this innovative reader on a politically active group likely to grow in number and electoral impact.

Contributions by: Harold Brackman, Edward T. Chang, Elaine L. Chao, Steven P. Erie, Kim Geron, Bill Ong Hing, Thomas P. Kim, Harry H. L. Kitano, Taeku Lee, Pei-te Lien, Gary Locke, Lee A. Makela, Mitchell T. Maki, Norman Y. Mineta, Don T. Nakanishi, Glenn Omatsu, Elena Ong, Paul M. Ong, Leland T. Saito, Sandhya Shukla, Okiyoshi Takeda, Wendy K. Tam-Cho, Spencer K. Turnbull, L Ling-chi Wang, Janelle S. Wong, Kent Wong, David Wu, Frank H. Wu