RT Article
T1 When Xenophobia Spreads Like a Plague: A Critical Pastoral Theological Reflection on Anti-Asian Racism During the COVID-19 Pandemic
JF Journal of pastoral theology
VO 31
IS 2/3
SP 159
OP 174
A1 Chung, Jaeyeon Lucy
LA English
PB Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
YR 2021
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1782160728
AB 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.
K1 Pastoral Theology
K1 scapegoat mechanism
K1 René Girard
K1 Anti-Asian racism
K1 Xenophobia
K1 Covid-19
DO 10.1080/10649867.2021.1919843