Changes and Challenges Amid a Global Crisis: A Case Study of Chinese International Students in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although numerous textbooks and scholarly articles illustrate the racial discrimination against black Americans, few research studies examine other minority groups who also experience injustice during significant crises. Major global crises like a war or a pandemic put certain minority groups in jeopardy, such as Japanese Americans during World War II, Muslim groups during the 9/11 crisis, and Chinese and other Asian groups during the COVID-19 crisis. Using the ongoing Coronavirus crisis (COVID-19) as a case study, this paper illustrates Chinese international experiences’ of racial discrimination. Drawing on a qualitative study among ten Chinese international students in X University, this study shows: 1) Chinese students became a stigmatized group and suffered physical and mental assaults; 2) US mass media reacted to negative images of Chinese people following the COVID-19 outbreak; 3) numerous Chinese international students changed their job orientation due to the economic setbacks and COVID-19 trauma.