ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a conceptual link between individual and community, and thus micro and macro analysis. It reviews major theories concerning American ethnic groups with special focus on the instrumental aspects of ethnic identity which is shaped and utilized by individuals and groups. The book addresses methodology and research procedure of this ethnographic. It explains interviewees of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The book examines the immigration history of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans, emphasizing the distinctive socioeconomic context these groups are introduced and its consequences for their immigrant experiences. It discusses how individuals and groups in ethnic communities conceptualize ethnicity, and modify and reproduce it through numerous symbols and institutions. The book provides an overview of ethnic neighborhoods and the social components of each group are presented, along with some personal cases that illustrate these aspects.
