“It was like someone was pissin on me in my own home”: experiences of Sinophobia victims during the COVID-19 global pandemic

Abstract

Having seen a rise in the expression of Sinophobia and anti-Chinese/East Asian sentiments during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article hypothesizes that such racism is intersectionally informed, resulting in non-universal experiences. In discussing survey data collected in 2023 from an international sample of n = 117 participants identifying as being of Chinese or East Asian heritage, some key emerging themes and findings are presented. This supports the hypothesis and develops existing literature on Sinophobic victimization, the multi-layered nature of racism – specifically how, class and (female) gendered intersections are significant – and the re-worked manifestation of ‘Orientalist’ racism in contemporary, particularly non-Asian or Western countries, during periods of fear and uncertainty.