Introduction: Reflections on Asian American Politics on the 20th Anniversary of the Asian Pacific American Caucus

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the first symposium on Asian American politics published in a political science journal. Contributors to this current symposium note what has changed, where the scholarship is going, and where it should go by addressing issues that have significantly reshaped not only our discipline but also American society more broadly. The study of Asian American politics has roots in engaged social science. Students of ethnoracial politics have long blended scholarly rigor with deep personal concerns—the groundbreaking work of W. E. B. DuBois (1899) is one notable example—and that blend continues to be prominent among scholars of Asian American politics. This article explains the origins of the 2001 symposium and provides a brief overview of the growth of scholarship on Asian American politics.