Exploring Belonging and Power in Asian American Politics
Overview
In partnership with the Democracy & Power Innovation Fund, reimagine collective led a comprehensive literature review on Asian American politics, highlighting the critical role of grassroots groups in building cross-ethnic solidarity and political power. With over 140 academic and community-based sources reviewed, the project explored how scholars and practitioners have made sense of the complex political dynamics of Asian American communities and how those insights can support our collective work of building stronger AAPI political power.
The goal was not only to document key themes and research gaps, but to produce a practical resource for organizers, funders, and researchers working to build belonging and power across Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Our Approach
Our approach was with deep intentionality, rooted in both research rigor and community accountability.
Our approach included:
1. Conducting a Community-Centered Literature Search
We co-developed key themes to explore in AAPI research and politics, rooted in community priorities and lived experience. Then, we identified a curated set of scholarly databases, journals, and community-based sources. We reviewed and selected over 140 articles and reports that reflected research on diverse geographies, ethnic groups, and movement contexts — prioritizing both academic and practitioner voices.
2. Synthesizing Literature with Community Insight
We conducted a detailed review of the literature, surfacing recurring themes, research gaps, and opportunities for more culturally responsive research. The literature review synthesized insights across academic and community-based sources, with a focus on disaggregation, structural barriers, the concept of belonging, and building political power.
3. Sharing Back Learnings with Community Leaders
In partnership with Democracy & Power Innovation Fund, we presented the findings via webinar to community organizers, researchers, and allies. The webinar highlighted how race, ethnicity, class, immigration, and generational status influence civic engagement and belonging — especially for communities historically underrepresented in research.
Impact
For organizers, we hope this research affirms the work they are already doing and the realities they navigate every day. It serves as a tool to advocate for the specific needs of their communities and to push for more equitable resource allocation. When institutions or funders request research-based justification for engagement strategies, this review offers a strong evidence base.
The project highlights the work of community-based organizations from building belonging, disrupting harmful narratives to fostering solidarity. It underscores the importance of learning from these strategies and calls on funders to deepen investments in both research on AAPI values and the grassroots groups doing this work.
It brings attention to the need for more research and funding focused specifically on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities as well as newer immigrant communities, whose experiences and needs are too often marginalized within the AAPI umbrella.
PARTNER
Democracy & Power Innovation Fund
TEAM
Elaine Andres
Julia Lee-Hong
Marianne Chung
SERVICES
Collaborative Research Design
Literature Review
Community Research Briefing
