超越“模范少数族裔”:1980年以来洛杉矶华人参与选举政治研究

Beyond the"Model Ethnic Minority":A Study of Chinese Participation in Electoral Politics in Los Angeles Since 1980

1980年以来,洛杉矶的华人为了维护自己的合法权益,开始参与地方选举政治,并进入了市议会。在此基础上,华人精英又分别在2001年和2009年进入了州众议院和国会众议院,并在州议会和国会连续传承至今,洛杉矶华人参政形成了从市政府到州议会再到国会的完整链条。在这个过程中,华人精英固然起到了箭头作用,但也离不开华人在1990一2021年间四次重划选区的努力。通过历次重划选区,华人逐渐划出了一个亚裔占多数的州众议院选区,并以其为基础,划出了一个亚裔是第一大族裔的国会众议院选区,为华人进入州众议院和国会,以及保持其席位在华人内部传承奠定了选票基础。华人通过积极参政,维护了自己的合法权益,使华人的族裔性得到了美国社会的认可,也突破了亚裔不问政治的所谓“模范少数族裔”形象。

Since 1980,in order to safegard their legitimate rights and interests,the Chinese Americans in Los Angeles began to participate in local electoral politics and entered the City Council.On this basis,the Chinese-American elites also entered the State Assembly and the House of the Congress in 2001 and 2009 respectively,and their seats in the State Assembly and the Congress have been countinuously inherited.Up to now,Chinese political participation in Los Angeles has formed a complete chain from the municipal government to the State Assembly and then to the Congress.In this process,although the Chinese-American elites have played a steering role,it could not be separated from the efforts of the Chinese Americans in redistricting four times from 1990 to 2021.Through successive efforts of redistricting,the Chinese Americans gradually drew a State Assembly constituency with an Asian majority,and based on it,drew a constituency for the Congressional House of Represetatives with Asians as the largest ethnic group,thus laying a vote foundation for the Chinese Americans to enter the State Assembly and the Congress,and keep their seats inherited among them.By taking an active part in politics,the Chinese Americans have maintained their legitimate rights and interests,which not only enabled their ethnicity to be recognized by the Amiercan society,but also broke through the so-called"model ethnic minority"image of the Asian-Americans who don't care about politics.