Political Socialization at Work: Asian Americans in the Tech Sector Workplace

• In Event: Politics of Personal Experience

Abstract

How do immigrant workers in the United States become socialized into the American political system? While studies of political socialization largely focus on schools and civic associations, the workplace can serve as an important setting for political socialization, particularly for those who experience limited exposure to American politics in their youth. For immigrants who come to the United States to work, their first sustained interactions with Americans likely occur in the workplace. How does this exposure shape immigrants’ political views and their identity, both as employees and as racial minorities? What are the downstream effects of this socialization on political behavior? Our project investigates the workplace -- where diverse groups can interact across lines of national origin, social identity, and political ideology -- as a site of immigrant political socialization. We focus on the case of first- and second-generation Asian Americans who work in various occupations in the technology sector. We are motivated by the important role the tech industry plays in contemporary American politics, the relative lack of attention paid to the workplace in studies of political socialization, and the distinctive position of Asian Americans as the fastest-growing immigrant group in the United States. Using forty in-depth interviews with Asian Americans in the tech sector, we explore how experiences in the workplace influence political opinions and behavior, particularly with respect to views about inequality, precarity, and intentions to participate in politics. The results will offer insights into the mechanisms driving contemporary immigrant political socialization.

Authors

• Claire Ma, University of Pennsylvania

• Tanika Raychaudhuri, University of Houston