When Xenophobia Spreads Like a Plague: A Critical Pastoral Theological Reflection on Anti-Asian Racism During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic exponentially mushrooms across the globe, xenophobia comes after it almost immediately. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 began, Asians and Asian Americans have been subject to various types of anti-Asian violence. From a pastoral theological perspective, this social phenome...
| Published in: | Journal of pastoral theology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
2021
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| In: |
Journal of pastoral theology
Year: 2021, Volume: 31, Issue: 2/3, Pages: 159-174 |
| RelBib Classification: | HA Bible KBM Asia NBE Anthropology ZA Social sciences |
| Further subjects: | B
Anti-Asian racism
B Covid-19 B René Girard B Pastoral Theology B scapegoat mechanism B Xenophobia |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | As the coronavirus pandemic exponentially mushrooms across the globe, xenophobia comes after it almost immediately. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 began, Asians and Asian Americans have been subject to various types of anti-Asian violence. From a pastoral theological perspective, this social phenomenon is deeply troubling because Asians and Asian Americans continue to be victimized by racial biases and social prejudices. How should we then address this communal crisis theologically? I answer this question by uncovering the hidden stereotypical, sociocultural narratives that have historically contributed to scapegoating people of Asian descent. In doing so, I critically appropriate René Girard’s social analytic framework and theological insights, especially engaging in his ideas such as mimetic desires, the scapegoat mechanism, and the sacralizing of violence. I argue that to dismantle and shift the scapegoating narrative, it is imperative for the racially victimized and socially marginalized to resist the toxic mechanism of victimization in solidarity. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-4504 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of pastoral theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/10649867.2021.1919843 |