ABSTRACT
Most of the studies about elites, as demonstrated in the literature of the social sciences, have been on their various roles as leaders, rulers, patrons, and culture brokers in developing countries. Very few studies have been undertaken on the roles of elites in urban ethnic communities in developed societies. This study examines the nature and functions of two groups of elites — their conflicts, their differential use of ethnicity, and their influence on the ethnic boundary of an urban Chinese community. The present study finds that ethnic boundary maintenance and transformation are principally the consequence of the activities of the elites. The transformation of the Chinese ethnic group in New York from a culture-carrying unit to that of an interest group in present-day Chinatown is, among other factors, also the by-product of the activities of the new elite.
