Understanding Stereotypes of Chinese International Students on U.S. College Campuses: A Case for Systematic Discrimination

• In Event: In Their Words, on Their Terms: Undergraduate Students of Color Navigating the Ivory Tower

Abstract

The recent coronavirus pandemic, combined with anti-China rhetoric, made the international students and scholars of Chinese origin the easy racist target. A qualitative case study with 34 undergraduate Chinese international students (CIS) and 10 of their chosen faculty members, the study examined CIS’s studying abroad experiences in a U.S. university before, during and after the pandemic. Guided by the frameworks of neo-racism and model minority stereotype, this study showed that before the pandemic, there was implicit racism directed toward CIS in the academia while explicit racist attack was evident during and after the outbreak of the pandemic. Practical applications were discussed focusing on how the U.S. higher educational institutes could create a more inclusive environment for the international students.

Authors

• Lei Chen, Shaanxi Normal University
  Presenting Author

• Huijing Wen, Moravian University
  Presenting Author