Introduction – exploring and expanding the political world pioneered by Don T. Nakanishi

ABSTRACT

This essay provides an introduction to the late Don T. Nakanishi of UCLA, commenting on his legacy in the founding and development of Asian American politics as a field. It also offers an overview of the articles and dialogue essays included in this special PGI issue on Asian Pacific American Politics, the first of its kind in the nation.

KEYWORDS:

• Asian Americans
• Pacific Islanders
• Don T. Nakanishi
• racial and ethnic politics
• Asian American politics
• Hawaii independence

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 See Nakanishi (1985) for his classic statement.

2 For chronological summary of Nakanishi’s tenure battle at UCLA, see Matsuda (2009). See Minami (2009, 152–165) for a more extensive discussion of the tactics and strategy employed in this struggle.

3 See, for example, Nakanishi (1998).

4 The articles appeared in PS: Political Science and Politics 34:3 (September 2001): 602–644.