With recent renewed speculation about the origins of the COVID-19 virus, with the infamous “lab-leak theory” once again being discussed in earnest, it is important to maintain distinction between proper investigation and the racist propaganda that often accompanies it.
A new study published in the Journal of Management Studies outlines the workplace experiences of Asian Americans and Asian Canadians during the pandemic, who suffered racial discrimination and threats of violence due to the racialising of COVID-19 as “Asian”, and discusses the ways in which they defied and countered these aggressions.
Asian Americans and Asian Canadians (herein, referred to as Asians) in North America have long been viewed as a model minority group that is White or White-adjacent, rarely if ever experiencing racial discrimination.
Yet, their actual lived experiences show otherwise as recently demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been racialised as an “Asian” virus.
A new study published in the Journal of Management Studies examined the workplace experience of Asian professionals from a diverse set of industries during the pandemic to uncover evidence of not only subtle racism, but also blatant discrimination that included physical violence and aggression.
Several prominent examples of racial discrimination included bordering behaviour by non-Asian colleagues that emphasised boundaries and differences between racial groups, such as asking an Asian colleague to sit further away from everybody else or demanding that they quarantine or stay at home simply for being Asian.
Other examples included comments portraying Asians as a foreign threat, including “Asians brought the virus!” and the treatment of all Asians as a monolith and the assumption that all Asians can speak on behalf of China despite their nationality or ethnicity.
The study also uncovered examples of threats of violence and actual violence (e.g. spitting, threatening sexual assault) among the professional sample, most notably among healthcare providers, highlighting a particularly vulnerable group that must not only navigate racial micro-aggressions, but also threats of violence and actual violence.
Asians fight back
Despite being on the receiving end of these forms of discriminatory behaviour, Asians did not silently sit back. In fact, participants in the study shared examples of agentic empowerment in response to these acts of racial violence, defying the stereotype that portrays Asians as submissive, quiet, and powerless.
These acts of agency included confronting the aggressor to correct the unwanted identity (“I’m not Chinese! I’ve been here!”); reporting the aggressor to their managers or human resources (HR); and raising awareness about the discrimination faced by Asians by openly talking about their experience with colleagues and writing an article for a major news outlet. By doing so, these Asian professionals were able to reclaim their identity and project how they wanted to be seen (“I’m from [the U.S.]. I’m not going anywhere!”).
What you can do
This study aimed to dismantle the myth of the model minority within the organisational context by highlighting notable and common experiences of exclusionary and othering behaviour many Asian professionals experience during the course of their career.
The Asianisation of COVID-19 has shed light on how racialisation can be amplified by socio-cultural and political events. The study highlights key examples conveying exclusionary behaviour or comments toward Asians in the hopes that this will help individuals understand what it feels like to be made foreign in one’s own country.
By raising one’s awareness, allies can help identify and stop exclusionary behaviours, alleviating some of the burden felt by targets to confront. Moreover, allies can also offer support simply by affirming the lived experiences of Asians, validating the racism that many Asians face, even in the workplace.
The study also shares insight into the range of responses many Asians chose to adopt when responding to varying acts of racial discrimination. The in-depth look at the thought process highlights examples of different strategies that are available to Asian professionals when confronted with racial aggression in the workplace.
Overall, the study illustrates one shade of North America’s underbelly of racism, a stark reminder of the role that race and racism play in the lives of racial minorities and the significance of incorporating the voices and experiences of racially excluded professionals in organisations.
Please contact Harry O'Neill at Insight Media at harry@insightm.co.uk to arrange interviews with the researchers or for any further information.