Imaginários sobre os chineses no Brasil : mobilização dos afetos no canal “Pula Muralha” durante a pandemia por COVID–19

Abstract

This study analyzes Brazilians' imaginaries about China and the Chinese during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis is based on text speeches and comments on the YouTube channel, Pula Muralha, chosen for its relevance in the cultural connection between Brazil and China. The research includes a retrospective of the Chinese migratory flow to the West and the first contacts between Chinese and Brazilians, offering a historical perspective on the pandemic period. Based on this historical basis, the study explores Brazilians' contemporary perception of topics such as the "Yellow Peril", Orientalism and Sinophobia, identifying racial microaggressions and stigmatization exacerbated by the dissemination of fake news. Using an approach inspired by virtual ethnography, the study examines the affective dimension and relational acts observed in the platform's comments, revealing possible situations of risk and vulnerability.