Chinese American Educational Research and Development Association
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Educational Research & Development Journal
2021 Special Issue, Volume 24, Number 2
Yellow Peril Redux: Vitalizing Pre-existing Racial Conditions with a New Symbol |
| Nobuko Adachi |
Abstract |
| Racially-motivated verbal and physical assaults toward people of Asian descent in the United States have escalated substantially in the United States since 2020. However, authorities do not often view these cases as racially-motivated. I argue that this is a continuation of a long historical trend in the United States due to a renewed kind of Yellow Peril fear. I look at the language and metaphors used by politicians that has revitalized pre-existing discrimenation towards the East Asian Americans, both during the pandemic and previously, and examine how those in authority handled these cases. Dissemination of misinformation and false news stories concerning COVID has created a new Yellow Peril Redux using new symbolic vocabulary. This has reified, reinforced, and-indeed-legitimated increased prejudice and intolerance against an already marginalized community. |
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ISSN: 1526-8659