Racial Gap : Are French Asians Really Less Politicized Than Other Racial Minorities?

This paper will examines at the impact of experiences of inequality (racism, discrimination, daily references to origins) on the politicization of minority position and unconventional political participation (demonstrations, strikes, petitions, boycotts, activities on social networks). We address this question by focusing on French Asians, who present several particularities. Firstly, from a socio-economic perspective, Descendants of Asian immigrants are distinguished by high academic success rates (Ichou, 2018) and better access to employment compared to other visible minorities (Safi, 2006). Additionally, the strong presence of Asian communities in the commercial sector favors their consideration in an "intermediate" status (Raulin, 2009; Chuang and Merle, 2021). Moreover, in alignment with the 'model minority' stereotype, these populations have been essentialized by traits such as "discretion" and "silence" (Chuang, 2020). Simultaneously, other visible minorities, notably North African French, have been subjected to stigmatization in public discourse (Hajjat and Beaugé, 2014).These two simultaneously produced representations have given rise to a phenomenon of racial triangulation in which one minority group is relatively "valorized" by the majority population in relation to another group (Kim, 1999). As a result of these representations of docility and discretion, as well as their invisibility in stigmatizing discourses related to 'integration,' Asians are often perceived as less politicized compared to other minority groups within the French population. However, this perception is challenged by various factors, such as the series of protests observed since the early 2010s and the online mobilization against anti-Asian hatred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results presented in this paper are based on the TeO2 survey conducted between July 2019 and November 2020 among a representative sample of the French population (26,500 respondents, including 1,083 respondents of Asian origin). This statistical component will be supplemented by interviews with 49 people of Asian origin born in France and met between February 2021 and September 2023. These data indicate that French Asians are more exposed to everyday forms of racism than structural ones. Graduates and younger individuals are more likely to recognize such treatment. However, the politicization of these experiences and their inclusion in a politicized group consciousness is multifactorial, and the level of education plays only a partial role, along with other factors such as exposure to experiences of inequality. Compared to other minorities negatively depicted in public discourse, such as French North Africans, who experience greater structural racism, French Asians are less likely to develop a politicized group consciousness. Nevertheless, they are no less likely to participate in unconventional ways.