Developmentalism, Nationalism, and the Prosperity of China’s Northeast

Abstract

This chapter further explores the consequences of the PRC’s developmentalism on the ethnicity and overall prosperity of the region by examining how the Joseonjok community has been motivated to contribute to the development of the region in reaction to the changing geopolitics in the region. It provides detailed discussions on what extent “third type of nationalism” theory (explained in the previous chapter) informs the diaspora’s response to China’s authoritarian multiculturalism, and how this identity can interact with locality and prosperity. The prosperity of an ethnic group is heavily influenced by state policy, and yet the characteristics of minority groups shape their own collectivity in relation to the state’s policy. Since the mid-2000s, without a firm direction on ethnic relationships, external forces such as marketization, globalization, and urbanization have reinforced the Joseonjok’s guest worker status. This is closely linked to a fear of the state’s labeling minority regions, especially border areas, as security threats. Furthermore, the Joseonjok community’s dynamic changes are attributed to frequent full-scale communication with its two motherlands. This has stimulated the Joseonjok population’s hybrid political socialization, as they have been exposed to at least three different political systems.