Coronavirus: Fear of Asians rooted in long American history of prejudicial policies (NEWS.BERKELEY.EDU)

As the number of novel coronavirus cases rises, anxiety over the potentially deadly disease has been partly based on something other than health concerns.


“There’s a part of that original history of xenophobia and racism in America from the 19th and 20th centuries that is coming back,” said Winston Tseng, a Berkeley research scientist and lecturer in the School of Public Health and in Asian American and Asian Diasporas Studies.


“History is resurfacing again, with China becoming a stronger country and more competitive and a threat to U.S. dominance today, just like Japan was a threat in the second world war.”


For 30 years, hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Japanese immigrants were detained on Angel Island before being deported or allowed into the country






NEWS.BERKELEY.EDU

Coronavirus: Fear of Asians rooted in long American history of prejudicial policies