At the Fall for the Book Minifest, author, folklorist, and Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies, Ziying You presented insights from her latest book, “Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese and Chinese American Women". You’s book explores how the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding anti-Asian racism reshaped Chinese and Chinese American (CCA) women’s daily lives, foodways (e.g. navigating meals and inculcating vegetarianism), and identities. You’s book also highlights women’s agency in navigating both public health threats and racialized hostility.
During the book talk, You first detailed her multi-year, multi-mode research process, drawing on virtual ethnography, narrative interviews, class surveys, and social media analysis of platforms such as WeChat and Facebook.
Following a discussion of her methods, You walked the audience through the book’s chapters, outlining how each section centers different groups – including Chinese immigrant mothers, international students, Chinese adoptees, and lay Buddhist women – to illustrate varied pandemic experiences and forms of resilience. Her work contributes to interdisciplinary, intersectional, decolonial, and community-engaged Global Asian Folklore Studies (GAFS), while addressing anti-Asian racism and political activism. Importantly, You’s book offers pathways for supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and confronting racism in times of crisis.
March 03, 2026