ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to understand the roles of political parties in the political adaptation and behavior of Asian Americans. We investigate the shape, the sources, and possible consequences of political partisanship among Asian Americans. And we attempt to assess its effectiveness in structuring political attitudes and behavior as compared to other socialization agents or forces. After a general review of the unique characteristics of political partisanship in American politics, we examine the tenuous but critical relationship between Asian Americans and the major political parties. We then discuss theories and past research findings on the political partisanship of this immigrant-majority and nonwhite population. Because the proportion of Asian Americans who do not affiliate with a party may be large and because it has important implications for immigrant political socialization and mobilization, we give special consideration to the phenomenon of and reasons for nonidentification. We also pay close attention to the role of ethnicity and international migration-related factors, in addition to political and institutional factors, in structuring the direction and the intensity of partisanship among persons of diverse origins and destinies.
