IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/tvecsg/v111y2020i3p211-223.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ignorance, Orientalism and Sinophobia in Knowledge Production on COVID‐19

Author

Listed:
  • Yunpeng Zhang
  • Fang Xu

Abstract

In this commentary, based on a close readi ng of media reports and our everyday experiences as overseas Chinese researchers, we examine the production of ignorance surrounding the COVID‐19. Specifically, we focus on ignorance caused by selective inattention and power plays. We challenge the dominant dualistic frame of authoritarianism versus democracy and the role it plays in overly simplifying and even distorting the responses of Chinese authorities in handling this public health emergency. We maintain that this binary thinking is reflective of the conflation of orientalism, sinophobia and statephobia in the West, which also intersects with sexism and racism within and outside academic sites of knowledge production. The consequence is that knowledge accumulated by experts from China as well as other Asian countries about the virus and mitigation strategies are marginalised, discredited, distrusted, if not dismissed altogether.

Suggested Citation

  • Yunpeng Zhang & Fang Xu, 2020. "Ignorance, Orientalism and Sinophobia in Knowledge Production on COVID‐19," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 111(3), pages 211-223, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:111:y:2020:i:3:p:211-223
    DOI: 10.1111/tesg.12441
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12441
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/tesg.12441?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:111:y:2020:i:3:p:211-223. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0040-747X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.