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Outsiders: Memories of Migration to and from North Korea
In this unique and insightful book, Markus Bell explores the hidden histories of the men, women, and children who traveled from Japan to the world’s most secretive state—North Korea. Through vivid ethnographic details and interviews with North Korean escapees, Outsiders: Memories of Migration to and from North Korea reveals the driving forces that propelled thousands of ordinary people to risk it all in Kim Il-Sung’s “Worker’s Paradise”, only to escape back to Japan half a century later.
242 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 25, 2021
Outsiders is probably one of the few academic books looking at NK migration - and more specifically, mobility from and to North Korea and Japan. Through ethnographic data and interviews with North Korean refugees, Markus Bells explores the experiences and identity struggles of those refugees who 'returned' to North Korea and then went back to Japan.
As a personal note - my PhD research is about NK mobility and hence why I had my library pre-order the book quite a while ago. It was certainly fascinating to read so much about the Japanese side of things since most of what we hear is about refugees settling in South Korea or hiding in China. What I found the most interesting was Bell's exploration of how repatriations to North Korea happened and his analysis of why the Japanese government did what it did (and how nationalistic constructions of memory influenced their actions and how they were presented).
In short, not only a great book but very unique as well. I probably highlighted 40% of it.
As a personal note - my PhD research is about NK mobility and hence why I had my library pre-order the book quite a while ago. It was certainly fascinating to read so much about the Japanese side of things since most of what we hear is about refugees settling in South Korea or hiding in China. What I found the most interesting was Bell's exploration of how repatriations to North Korea happened and his analysis of why the Japanese government did what it did (and how nationalistic constructions of memory influenced their actions and how they were presented).
In short, not only a great book but very unique as well. I probably highlighted 40% of it.
December 30, 2021
In brief - this book is collection of interviews and personality studies of Zainichi Koreans who have migrated to and from Japan and North Korea over the decades since the Japanese colonial experiment collapsed.
I was unaware that 'Zainichi Korean' identity existed at all before reading this, as it is certainly not a term in common parlance in the West. Much has been made in recent years of Yeon-Mi Park's 'In Order to Live' and the subsequent fetishisation of North Korean suffering. But what Dr. Bell provides here is a much more nuanced and humanistic exploration of the intricacies of North Korean identity, and how the vagaries of Korean migration (both voluntary and forced) in the Twentieth Century have created a unique culture in the Zainichi Korean (Korean-Japanese) community.
This is not a policiticised story of 'why North Korea is bad', as many publications regarding the DPRK tend to devolve into, but rather it is a book that, at its heart, is a documentation of everyday stories of stoicism, hope, success, failure, and resilience as Bell's interviewees share their experiences of navigating life without a sense of geographical 'home'. Bell puts his interview subjects front and centre, and it is their perspective that shines through, free of any sensationalistic gloss.
Anthropology is Dr. Bell's wheelhouse, so if you are seeking an historical summary or a political treatise you will need to look elsewhere. Rather, be prepared for critical discussions on statehood, national mythologising, the dynamic between migration and citizenship, and the subtly toxic social obligations that come with well-meaning humanitarianism.
It's a dense read, but briskly-written, and I would highly recommend it to students of anthropology or anyone interested in modern East Asian society.
I was unaware that 'Zainichi Korean' identity existed at all before reading this, as it is certainly not a term in common parlance in the West. Much has been made in recent years of Yeon-Mi Park's 'In Order to Live' and the subsequent fetishisation of North Korean suffering. But what Dr. Bell provides here is a much more nuanced and humanistic exploration of the intricacies of North Korean identity, and how the vagaries of Korean migration (both voluntary and forced) in the Twentieth Century have created a unique culture in the Zainichi Korean (Korean-Japanese) community.
This is not a policiticised story of 'why North Korea is bad', as many publications regarding the DPRK tend to devolve into, but rather it is a book that, at its heart, is a documentation of everyday stories of stoicism, hope, success, failure, and resilience as Bell's interviewees share their experiences of navigating life without a sense of geographical 'home'. Bell puts his interview subjects front and centre, and it is their perspective that shines through, free of any sensationalistic gloss.
Anthropology is Dr. Bell's wheelhouse, so if you are seeking an historical summary or a political treatise you will need to look elsewhere. Rather, be prepared for critical discussions on statehood, national mythologising, the dynamic between migration and citizenship, and the subtly toxic social obligations that come with well-meaning humanitarianism.
It's a dense read, but briskly-written, and I would highly recommend it to students of anthropology or anyone interested in modern East Asian society.
December 29, 2021
Very good explanation of why Japan-based Koreans migrated to North Korea decades ago, and why they (or their children) went back to Japan later despite the challenges involved.
If you're like me, though, you'll finish this book far from optimistic about the future of Japan or Korea (with their aging and declining populations) and the coming wave of migration soon to be set off my climate change. Japan, like many other countries, clings to its notions of the "pure" and the "native-born" Japanese even with its population set to fall by more than half over the next century - if such notions don't die, Japan might, and they won't be alone.
If you're like me, though, you'll finish this book far from optimistic about the future of Japan or Korea (with their aging and declining populations) and the coming wave of migration soon to be set off my climate change. Japan, like many other countries, clings to its notions of the "pure" and the "native-born" Japanese even with its population set to fall by more than half over the next century - if such notions don't die, Japan might, and they won't be alone.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews