COVID-19 Pandemic and Anti-Asian Racism & Violence in the 21st Century

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 21st century, we have experienced major pandemics and epidemics. However, we believe the COVID-19 pandemic was the first time a certain racial/ethnic group or nationality was blamed for the pandemic/epidemic. Anti-Asian racism and violence worldwide are not new, but they are on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the crimes against Asians during the pandemic received substantial media attention, there has been a paucity of empirical research in social science that addresses xenophobic sentiments, racism, and violence against Asians. To bridge the gap, the Korean Society of Criminology in America (KOSCA) invited papers to address the current global issue of anti-Asian racism and violence in mid2021. It was challenging to conduct empirical research because of the lack of data availability, time restrictions, and the narrowed research scope (e.g., Asians). This editorial introduction introduces six articles in this Special Issue of Race and Justice, “Anti-Asian Racism & Violence.” We call for further, continuous attention to anti-Asian racism and violence, and we hope this special issue creates more scholarly discussion on this understudied, often-neglected topic.