Covid-19, the Chinese diaspora, and the enduring legacy of racism in Peru / Covid-19, a diáspora chinesa e o legado duradouro do racismo no Peru
Hist. ciênc. saúde-Manguinhos
;
29(2): 381-398, abr.-jun. 2022. graf
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: biblio-1385083
ABSTRACT
Abstract The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a global tendency throughout history to blame immigrants for propagating epidemics. Chinese individuals were thus targeted during past public health crises in Peru, but during the current coronavirus pandemic racist notions painting people of Chinese descent as "agents of contagion" diminished significantly. Here we examine three major epidemics (yellow fever, the bubonic plague, and covid-19) to demonstrate the current and somewhat surprising shift in negative attitudes toward the Chinese community. Peruvians' refusal to embrace derogatory terms (the "Chinese virus") or target individuals of Asian descent constitutes an intriguing case at a moment when xenophobic discourse is rampant in the Western hemisphere.
RESUMO
Resumo A pandemia do coronavírus expôs uma tendência mundial ao longo da história de culpar imigrantes pela propagação de epidemias. No Peru, os chineses sofreram preconceito racial durante crises de saúde pública anteriores. Surpreendentemente, a ideia de que os descendentes de chineses são "agentes de contágio" diminuiu significativamente durante a atual pandemia. Examinaremos aqui três grandes epidemias (febre amarela, peste bubônica e covid-19), a fim de demonstrar a atual mudança nas atitudes negativas em relação à comunidade chinesa. A recusa dos peruanos de adotar termos depreciativos (o "vírus chinês") ou visar indivíduos de ascendência asiática é algo intrigante em tempos de completa disseminação de discurso xenofóbico no hemisfério ocidental.
Full text:
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Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Prejudice
/
Communicable Diseases
/
Emigrants and Immigrants
/
COVID-19
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Peru
Language:
English
Journal:
Hist. ciênc. saúde-Manguinhos
Journal subject:
Public Health
Year:
2022
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Chile
Institution/Affiliation country:
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile/CL
/
Universidad de Tarapacá/CL
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