Transcultural Conflicts and Pandemic: The Situation of the Chinese Community in Spain

Abstract

Abstract The global COVID-19 pandemic has amplified and reinforced prejudice and racism against Asians, accompanied by increased conflicts such as discrimination towards ethnic Chinese. This study analyses the discrimination and conflicts experienced by ethnic Chinese living in Spain, empirically demonstrating the causality behind these discriminations. Further analysis of the relationship between gender, age, and length of residence in the host country as variables to establish the phenomena of discrimination among ethnic Chinese. The evidence indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to intensify prejudice and discrimination against individuals of East Asian origin (Loffman, 2020). In order to avoid the escalating conflicts of ethnic Chinese living abroad in the post-pandemic era, this study explores the reasons behind these discriminations and conflicts. This study developed the hypothesis that the racist discrimination experienced by the ethnic Chinese community living in Spain can be attributed to cultural differences. A descriptive-correlational research study that used a cross-sectional self-reported observational research design was carried out to examine this hypothesis. Based on the results, it affirms the hypothesis of this study that the racist conflicts experienced by ethnic Chinese living in Spain during the pandemic were related to cultural differences. This result provides certain reference value for a better understanding of the conflict between different cultures. Furthermore, as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new contextual environment to the world and ethnic Chinese are facing new situations when living abroad, this study may provide very timely insight and has strong social relevance.