What Does Being “Asian” Mean? Asian International Students’ Pan-Ethnic Meaning Making in a Post-COVID Era

• In Event: Navigating the Intersections of Asian/Asian American Identities and Differential Experiences

Abstract

Utilizing Asian Critical Theory and International Student Critical Race Theory, this exploratory multiple case study examined Asian international students’ pan-ethnic meaning making process in a post-COVID era, including how the pan-ethnic meaning making process differs among East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian international students. Our findings showed that Asian international students across ethnic groups perceived Asian as a label despite the racial reckoning on a national and international level amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and a heightened sense of ethnic identification among Southeast Asian international students. Our study illuminates the complexities of Asian international students’ pan-ethnic meaning making process and offers important implications for political mobilization and racial coalition building power of Asians in the US.

Authors

• Jia Zheng, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Kristyn Lue, University of Southern California