Racialization, Migration and Covid

This session interrogates the effects of the pandemic on racialization and migration, including on health, cultural representation, political, social, welfare, labour market and education. The pandemic has given rise to increasing racism against racialized groups and migrants as threats to national spaces. At the same time, in many countries migrants and racialized people were more at risk of contracting Covid due to, working and housing conditions, limited access to health services. Many racialized people and migrants were over-represented in jobs classified as 'key workers'. Yet, migration status precluded some from full access to social, health and other support services. In response to inadequate or exclusionary provision by national and local governments, solidarity and mutual help groups have sprung up. While drawing on the knowledges and practices of racialized communities, this has not always been recognised. The pandemic, then has reinforced existing inequalities while also engendering new ones. Paper proposals are particularly encouraged to address intersectional issues of gender, sexuality, ability, age, generation, class and others, including but not limited to the following issues:

• How has the pandemic reinforced existing or articulated new inequalities for racialized and migrant groups?
• How have migrants’ mobility, social, cultural, political and other rights been affected by the pandemic?
• How have racialized and migrant groups responded through drawing on community knowledges and practices of solidarities?
• What responses and new solidarities have been developed to challenge the exclusion and marginalization of racialized an migrant groups from national welfare, health, and other provisions?