PUBLI : Simeng Wang et al., «‘I’m more afraid of racism than of the virus!’: racism awareness and resistance among Chinese migrants and their descendants in France during the Covid-19 pandemic », European Societies in the Time of the Coronavirus Crisis [en ligne], 2020

Abstract

This article focuses on the discri­mi­na­tion and racism expe­rienced by Chinese migrants and their descen­dants during the Covid-19 pandemic. It analyses this group’s increa­sing aware­ness and acti­vism toward racial discri­mi­na­tion in French society. The paper is based on an empi­rical inves­ti­ga­tion using quali­ta­tive and quan­ti­ta­tive research methods (online surveys and inter­views) with people of Chinese origin living in France. In addi­tion, quali­ta­tive data from news media and acti­vists is also crucial to this study because of the impor­tant role they play in the social construc­tion of the anti-racism move­ment. This study shows that the Covid-19 pandemic high­lights how the discri­mi­na­tion and racism expe­rienced by people of Chinese origin can take various forms. The epidemic has become a cata­lyst for Chinese immi­gra­tion to resist racism, espe­cially among descen­dants, and among more recent and highly-skilled Chinese immi­grants, who have broken their silence, united, and parti­ci­pated in a more acti­vist manner.

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