Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in early 2020, there have been a growing number of attacks towards people of Asian (especially Chinese) descent. The “Shadow Pandemic” of Anti-Asian racism has exacerbated the impact of COVID-19 on Asians in various ways, including their mental health, interracial relationships, stigmatization and representation. This is by no means new, as with earlier outbreaks such as SARS in 2003, there were also increased incidents of racial profiling, which prompted all levels of government and civil society to combat both the spread of the virus and discrimination in Canada. Asian Canadians thus are facing a recurrent prejudice that needs to be addressed from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

During this three-day virtual workshop (15–17 June 2021), hosted by the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR), we aim to address the following questions of anti-Asian racism in Canada and beyond:

1) What explains the rising anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic? 
2) In what ways does anti-Asian racism affect Asian communities and interracial relations?
3) How can the escalation of anti-Asian racism be mitigated?

The workshop is made possible with the support from the Canada-China Initiatives Fund at York University and the Canadian Institutes of Health.  

The keynote lecture and the following panels are open to the public. Please register in advance to receive the event link.

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

Wednesday, 16 June 2021

Thursday, 17 June 2021

For general inquiries, please contact the York Centre for Asian Research at ycar@yorku.ca. For academic-related questions, please contact Xiao Alvin Yang.