Catalysts of Micromobilization Among Asian American Student Activists

• In Event: Engaging Diverse Contexts, Communities, and Solidarities in Research on Asian American and Pacific Islanders

Abstract

There is growing interest in understanding student activism in higher education Unfortunately, empirical scholarship on contemporary college student activism in general remains sparse, and research on Asian American college student activists is especially difficult to find. This grounded theory analysis focused on understanding the factors that contribute to the micromobilization of Asian American college students. Specifically, individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with 12 Asian American undergraduates engaged in social justice in the Midwest to understand factors that led them to engage in social justice movements. The findings of this analysis delineate the ways in which environmental threats, opportunities to develop critical consciousness, that social justice networks contributed to college student micromobilization. Implications for research and practice will also be discussed.

Author

• Samuel D. Museus, University of California - San Diego