Anti-Black Racism in Post-Mao China

Abstract

Expressions of anti-black sentiment by Chinese students have caught the world's attention periodically since the end of the 1970s. Demonstrations against African students in Nanjing and other cities between late 1988 and early 1989 received wide press coverage. Because the African population in China is small and transient, some observers saw these events as a manifestation of a vestigial xenophobia, not as part of a developing trend of thought within a key segment of Chinese society. Placed next to the brutal ethnic conflicts that plague much of the world, the episodic, non-lethal incidents in China seemed evanescent, with only fleeting implications for China's foreign policy.

China's recruitment of African university students: policy efficacy and unintended outcomes

“…In one of the few surveys that have been done on the topic, Sandra Gillespie asserts that African students in China are generally dissatisfied with their university studies, with less than half of the respondents rating their overall academic experience as 'good' or 'excellent' (Gillespie 2001, 124). Several studies have attended specifically to how racial identities in China affect the relations between African and Chinese students and generate recurring conflicts on Chinese university campuses (Dikötter 1994;Sautman 1994). By contrast, research by Dong and Chapman (2008) asserts that African scholarship holders are largely satisfied with their experiences in China and promotes a positive view of the potential for strengthening friendships with African countries through educational programmes.…”

The Shifting Meanings of Race in China: A Case Study of the African Diaspora Communities in Guangzhou

“…Dikötter (, 34) argues that the emergence of a racial discourse in China at the end of the nineteenth century was not due to China's encounter with the Western world, but rather to the “internal development” of Chinese society. Dikötter's book has often been cited as evidence for the existence of racism in Chinese society (Jacques ; Johnson ; Sautman ), yet it has also been criticized for its reductionist approach to race and its Western‐centric interpretation of Chinese cultural constructs (Dirlik ; Stafford ). In response, Stafford (, 609) calls for an understanding of Chinese concepts “on their own terms,” while Dirlik (, 70) urges critical reflections on the “hegemonic power” of Euro‐American imperialism in spreading the discourse of race globally.…”

The Politics of Racism: Constructions of African Immigrants in China on ChinaSMACK

“…Stories discussing racial issues are among the most popular and commented‐on stories on ChinaSMACK (Herold, ), indicating that race is an important topic in Chinese society (Sautman, ; Y. Cheng, ). Analysis of Chinese online news stories and comments reveal much about local constructions of racial identities and stereotypes.…”

“…Stories discussing racial issues are among the most popular and commented-on stories on ChinaSMACK (Herold, 2012), indicating that race is an important topic in Chinese society (Sautman, 1994;Y. Cheng, 2011).…”