04/11/2025
By Eika Hunt
Candidate Name: Mengyan (Lia) Liu
Title: Sociopolitical Factors and Media Framing of Anti-Asian Hate
Defense Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Time: 9:30-11 a.m.
Location: Health and Social Sciences Building, Room 431
Committee:
Co-Chair: Arie Perliger, Ph.D., Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Co-Chair: Claire Lee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Joselyne Chenane Nkogo, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Ráchael A. Powers, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a sharp rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across the United States, particularly in politically progressive states such as California, New York, and Washington. This dissertation investigates the sociopolitical and media-driven factors contributing to this surge in racialized violence by addressing three key research questions: (1) What socioeconomic factors influenced patterns of anti-Asian violence during the pandemic? (2) How did mass media empower perpetrators and amplify fear within Asian communities? (3) How did media coverage of anti-Asian threats compare to that of other minority groups, particularly in the context of legislative responses such as the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act?
This mixed methods study examines historical precedents of anti-Asian discrimination, the political economy of hate crimes, and the role of media framing in shaping public perception and policy outcomes. Methodologically, it employs zero-inflated negative binomial regression to analyze far-right incident data (2011–2021) targeting Asians and conducts a comparative media analysis of #StopAAPIHate and #BlackLivesMatter coverage using linguistic software (LIWC 2022) to assess disparities in framing and dehumanizing language.