The Behavioral and Social Sciences Department invites you to a presentation on “Asian Americans and Pandemic Discrimination” by Dr. Van Tran, Associate Professor of Sociology and International Migration Studies at CUNY Graduate Center and Hostos alumnus, as part of the Social Sciences Speakers Series.
Date | Time: Tuesday, May 7 at 2:00PM
Location: C-312 (FDR) – Light Refreshments will be served
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered significant anti-Asian sentiment, resulting in a dramatic surge in anti-Asian violence. Although the focus has been on Asians, the pandemic’s impact has been devastating for Blacks and Hispanics, too. Broadening the scope of inquiry to include the experiences of all racial minorities, this study analyzes longitudinal data that tracks experiences with and perceptions of everyday discrimination during the pandemic. Our findings show racial disparity in pandemic discrimination is both significant and enduring, irrespective of self-infection status. Pandemic discrimination does not vary by gender within race or across socioeconomic statuses. The broader political climate shapes these perceptions of pandemic discrimination, as demonstrated by the two major anti-Asian incidents under different political leaderships. Among U.S. Asians, the surge in “Chinese virus” tweets in March 2020 was associated with a significant increase in pandemic discrimination when political leaders deployed the stigmatizing rhetoric to stoke anti-Asian sentiment. By contrast, the Atlanta shooting incident in March 2021 did not escalate pandemic discrimination because anti-Asian racism and violence were swiftly and unequivocally condemned by the Biden-Harris administration.
Van Tran is an Associate Professor of Sociology and International Migration Studies at CUNY Graduate Center. He is an expert on race, ethnicity, migration, and urban inequality. His research and teaching focus on four themes: mobility and integration of the immigrant second generation, intergroup relations and racial attitudes, Asian American diversity and growth, and neighborhood integration and urban change. His current research examines intra-Asian diversity with a primary focus on vulnerable Asian groups, mental health and well-being of Asian elders, concentrated incarceration and the reentry process, and the integration of second-generation Africans. Tran is the faculty co-director for the Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies Collaboration Hub, a multidisciplinary initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation to transform ethnic studies across CUNY. He received his A.A. in Liberal Arts from Hostos Community College, B.A. in Sociology from Hunter College, and Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy from Harvard.