Volume 29, Issue 5, 2020
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.1110
The Intersection of Racism and Xenophobia on the Rise Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study Investigating Experiences of Asian Chinese International Students in America.
Abstract
Racism and Xenophobia as entrenched social oppressions have been negatively impacting marginalized people in the United States. Due to the unforeseen COVID-19 interruptions since the very end of the year 2019, Asians and people with Asian descent have become paramount targets in the United States by facing greater intersectional racism, anti-Chinese sentiment, Xenophobia, and Sinophobia. By employing intersectionality as a theoretical framework and methodological approach, this article explores the Asian Chinese International (ACI) students lived and educational experiences as they relate to the intersection of race and nationality during the COVID-19 pandemic era from an intersectional lens. Suggestions and practices are presented in this qualitative study including depoliticizing race and nationality, employing the intersection of race and nationality as they relate to awareness, competence, and emancipation, and increasing the visibility of people with multiple marginalized identities. The study encourages national, state and local policymakers, and university administrators and educators to implement these practices for the purpose of eliminating intersectional inequalities for ACI students. Finally, a discussion on limitation of this study calls for a further exploration on experiences of people with multiple marginalized identities in both the current and post COVID-19 pandemic era.
Keywords
COVID-19, intersectionality, racism, xenophobia