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...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Chung, Jaeyeon Lucy (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group 2021
Dans: Journal of pastoral theology
Année: 2021, Volume: 31, Numéro: 2/3, Pages: 159-174
Classifications IxTheo:HA Bible
KBM Asie
NBE Anthropologie
ZA Sciences sociales
Sujets non-standardisés:B Anti-Asian racism
B Covid-19
B René Girard
B Pastoral Theology
B scapegoat mechanism
B Xenophobia
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Résumé: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.
ISSN:2161-4504
Contient:Enthalten in: Journal of pastoral theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/10649867.2021.1919843