ABSTRACT
The SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic spurred a historic rise in blatant anti-Asian violence and microaggressions rooted in a dominant ideology of whiteness and belonging. This chapter focuses on international university students from South Korea to provide an important perspective for understanding the meaning and impact of racialized encounters. Student descriptions of racial incidents and interactions during the pandemic are examined using data from focus groups in four cities: Toronto, Saskatoon, Halifax, and Albany. International students’ experiences of racism and racialization were similar across Canada and the United States during the pandemic and racial encounters occurred in public spaces, with comments and behaviors that illustrate the enduring trope of fear and disease. At the same time, students recalled incidents in different ways, shaped by race relations, race ideology, and race discourse.
