Interethnic Coalitions in a New American Century: Organizing Vietnamese Americans
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2014
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Thesis
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eng
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Abstract
My thesis research engages the question, "What kinds of interethnic coalition strategies will lead to the long-term political empowerment of Vietnamese Americans?" I argue that while political coalitions are formed out of self-interest, coalitions are political packages structured by a number of environmental, political and social factors. While any variation or combination of these factors could lead to both a competitive or cooperative environment, it is the presence of a strong and uniting leadership that spurs groups to mobilize together, rather than acting as separate entities. In studying the community-based organization People Acting in Community Together (PACT) San Jose, I found that organizational resources were crucial to moving past common barriers to cross-racial interaction, such as language, time and lack of knowledge of civic and political norms. Many contemporary immigrants live in neighborhoods and social networks segregated by language, culture and socioeconomic class, all of which barriers to building cross-racial and political relationships. Even in church congregations, where individuals are brought together on the commonality of religion, people are unable to communicate and build community in the same way as in linguistically or racially homogenous communities. By providing language resources and organizers familiar with cultural differences, PACT is able to facilitate and create a unique space for coalition building among minority and immigrant communities that often does not occur in normal forums for civic engagement.