Theorising racism in China: a decolonial intervention

This article aims to intervene in the current trajectory of studying racism in China by centring decoloniality. In this article, I propose three theses which underscore why decolonising this field is of paramount importance. First, dominant consensus on racism in China downplays or ignores the critical juncture of nineteenth century colonisation and its impact on Chinese racial ideologies, despite many scholars presenting evidence of colonial modernity and its racial hierarchy in China. Second, scholars who deploy methodological nationalism isolate China from the external world, misrepresenting problems in China as China-only. Third, scholars misconstrued China-centrism as racial superiority, dismissing the Chinese own racialisations under White supremacy. These theoretical problems prevent scholars from pursuing a comprehensive theorisation in understanding the racialisation of people in China. This article pioneers in offering a cohesive frame of analysis that incorporates decolonial theory for understanding racism in Chinese society, inviting future studies to innovate with this framework in mind.