Race and the City: Chinese Canadian and Chinese American Political Mobilization.

Gary Watson is a former lecturer in Chinese studies at Queen’s University and is now a multimedia developer in Mississauga.

“Inclusion” is a bedrock value shared—at least in theory—by the political cultures of Canada and the United States. Whether defined metaphorically as a “multicultural mosaic” or a “melting pot,” inclusion, in both countries, involves the capacity to accommodate racial and ethnic minorities and to grant them full political participation through citizenship. Shanti Fernando’s concise monograph on Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans explores the sharp limits both countries place on these minority communities. In both countries, systemic racism has sharply limited participation.

While cross-country comparisons are difficult, Fernando finds important similarities. In the large urban centres of Toronto and Los Angeles, Chinese communities confront widespread but often subtle racism. Toronto’s Chinese community is rapidly establishing its political and economic place. A rapidly growing, prosperous community, Chinese Canadians in the GTA are a more diverse group than before, thanks to immigration. In Los Angeles, Chinese Americans are among the area’s most prosperous citizens. However, in both cities, economic clout and educational advancement have not led to inclusion in, or acceptance by, the established elites. Chinese communities in both cities, as Fernando observes, have long resorted to parallel power structures, usually in the form of strong ethno-linguistic associations. Such groups first supplied venues for cultural expression and linguistic preservation but failed, according to Fernando, to evolve into vehicles for widening participation in established organizations and mainstream political life. Fernando insists that racism, whether overt or subtle, remains a key element shaping Chinese self-perceptions, which can actually limit the inclusion so many in these communities seek. Old-line Chinese community groups need to shift away from a defensive posture and move to anti-racist advocacy to achieve the long-standing goals of equality and inclusion through political participation.

Even though Fernando’s study is nominally limited to the Chinese communities of Toronto and Los Angeles, the range and depth of inquiry produces important insights and raises significant questions regarding our comforting mainstream assumptions about political inclusion and social equity.