"Go back to China with your (expletive) virus": A revelatory case study of anti-Asian racism during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Since coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged at the beginning of 2020, reports of anti-Asian racism have surged, yet little is known in the empirical literature about participants' lived experience of racism during this time. We designed a qualitative, intrinsic, revelatory case study to examine the different types of anti-Asian racism being perpetrated, and the contexts and perpetrators during the first 6 months of COVID-19. We analyzed the online and written responses of 193 self-identified Asian Americans from over 32 states and corroborated their experiences with news articles, journal articles, and reports of anti-Asian hate crimes published during the same period. Our analysis yielded 11 types of racist experiences (a) No direct personal experience, only vicarious, (b) Stared at, glared at, shunned, (c) Singled out and treated poorly, (d) Indirectly referenced in third person, (e) Was the butt of a racist joke, (f) Blamed for the virus, (g) Stereotyped with racist characterization, (h) Told to go back to an Asian country, (i) Called a racial slur, (j) Hostile verbal assault, and (k) Physically threatened. Regarding the context and perpetrator of anti-Asian racism, our analysis yielded seven subthemes (a) from friends and family, (b) at school and work, (c) in daily tasks, (d) while commuting, (e) in the socialization of children, (f) in online spaces, and (g) from police and security officers. Our findings showcase the wide range of anti-Asian racism and underscore the need to integrate scientific research with advocacy efforts to enhance awareness of anti-Asian racism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement We designed a qualitative study to examine anti-Asian racism during the first 6 months of COVID-19 in the U.S. We wanted to know what types of racism were being perpetrated, by whom, and in what settings. Our findings revealed a wider range of anti-Asian racism than what has been captured in the scientific literature and advocacy efforts to document Asian American experiences of racism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)