Anti-Asian Racism and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0774871350 ISBN 13: 9780774871358

Publisher: University of British Columbia Press, 2026

Synopsis

Examines the surge of anti-Asian racism in Canada during COVID-19 and the community strategies to resist discrimination and build solidarity.

The outbreak of COVID-19 sparked a troubling surge in assaults and discrimination against individuals of Asian descent in Canada, creating what has been called a “shadow pandemic” of racism. Anti-Asian Racism and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada offers a comprehensive examination of the causes, consequences, and responses to this resurgence of prejudice.

While previous epidemics such as SARS and H1N1 also triggered anti-Asian sentiment, the COVID-19 pandemic saw an especially severe backlash. Historical stereotypes, including the “yellow peril” trope from late-nineteenth-century discourse, were revived to portray Asians as an existential threat to the West. Even beyond the height of the pandemic, Asian Canadians have continued to face COVID-19-related social, economic, and racial discrimination.

Bringing together multidisciplinary perspectives, the contributors use historical analysis and empirical research to trace the rise of anti-Asian racism and to examine the strategies Asian communities have employed to resist discrimination and foster solidarity. This essential work illuminates the ongoing struggle against racial injustice and offers insights for building a more equitable society.

About this title

About the Authors

Chandrima Chakraborty is a professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies and director of the Centre for Global Peace, Justice and Health and the Global Peace and Social Justice program at McMaster University, Canada.

Sibo Chen is an associate professor in the School of Professional Communication at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.

Muyang Li is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at York University, Canada, and a faculty fellow at the Center for Cultural Sociology at Yale University.

Guida Man is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at York University, Canada, and a research associate at the Centre for Feminist Research and the York Centre for Asian Research.

X. Alvin Yang is an interdisciplinary scholar specializing in international relations, global political economy, and the sociology of knowledge. He is a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of British Columbia Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0774871350
• ISBN 13: 9780774871358
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 282
• Editor: Chakraborty Chandrima, Chen Sibo, Li Muyang, Man Guida, Yang X. Alvin