Zainichi Korean Women in Japan: Voices

by Jackie J. Kim-Wachutka

Presenting the voices of a unique group within contemporary Japanese society--Zainichi women--this book provides a fresh insight into their experiences of oppression and marginalization that over time have led to liberation and empowerment. Often viewed as unimportant and inconsequential, these women's stories and activism are now proving to be an integral part of both the Zainichi Korean community and Japanese society.

Featuring in-depth interviews from 1994 to the present, three generations of Zainichi Korean women--those who migrated from colonial Korea before or during WWII and the Asia-Pacific War and their Japan-born descendants--share their version of history, revealing their lives as members of an ethnic minority. Discovering voices within constricting patriarchal traditions, the women in this book are now able to tell their history. Ethnography, interviews, and the women's personal and creative writings offer an in-depth look into their intergenerational dynamics and provide a new way of exploring the hidden inner world of migrant women and the different ways displacement affects subsequent generations.

This book goes beyond existing Anglophone and Japanese literatures, to explore the lives of the Zainichi Korean women. As such, it will be invaluable to students and scholars of Japanese and Korean history, culture and society, as well as ethnicity and Women's Studies.

266 pages, ebook

Published December 7, 2018

Reviews

[Violentina Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a well-researched and funded study that provides fresh insight into the experiences of oppression and marginalization of a specific group within contemporary Japanese society—Zainichi women. The personal tales help the reader to connect with the struggles of the Zainichi Women community and to understand them. The narrative is beautiful and can be enjoyed also as a non-academic book based on thorough research. It is a valuable complement to students and scholars of Japanese and Korean history, culture, and society, who are familiar with the history and roots of the Zainichi issue and want to look at the question in a new light. It is as well insightful for students of ethnicity and Women’s Studies and any other person interested in the intersections of migration, gender, and identity.

[mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

tão tão bom! Se já leram Pachinko e ficaram interessados no tópico à volta da dor da mulher, por favor leiam isto e oiçam as histórias da mulheres que a viveram!