An Intersectional Analysis of the Experience of Anti-Chinese Racism in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)


Guida C. Man, York University; Keefer Wong, York University

Anti-Chinese racism in Canada has escalated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its prevalence and intensity has captured the attention of mainstream media. This paper adopts an intersectional framework to examine the experience of racism of Chinese individuals residing in the GTA. We draw on data analysis from a SSHRC funded research project, and focus our analysis of the experience of anti-Chinese racism before and during COVID on such topics that include microaggression, stereotyping, geopolitics, etc. We demonstrate that the pandemic has exacerbated anti-Chinese racism, allowing it to fester and proliferate. In particular, our paper elucidates how different forms of anti-Chinese racism interact with individuals’ intersectionalities (i.e., race, class, gender, age, ability, English/French fluency, immigration/citizenship status etc.) to further complicate how individuals are differentially targeted and how they experience racism differently. As well, our paper illuminates how individual interviewee utilizes his/her agency to combat anti-Asian racism.

This paper will be presented at the following session: