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Korean/American Literary Images of Black Amerasians

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Literature, Memory, Hegemony

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the images of black Amerasians in Korean and Korean-American narratives. By putting Korean-language narratives in direct dialogue with their Anglophone counterparts, this transpacific study argues that the texts in Korean and English help piece together the diverse aspects of black Amerasian experience in Korea from two perspectives, Korean and Korean American. Both Korean and Korean American narratives portray black Amerasians fundamentally as the unfortunate victims of androcentrism, patriarchy, ethnonationalism, militarism, neo-imperialism, and racism. Yet there is a signal difference between the two literatures: whereas Korean narratives focus on the discrimination and ostracisation of black Amerasians by Koreans, Korean American narratives highlight white racism in U.S. military facilities in Korea and criticise U.S. legal barriers and immigration policy against black Amerasians.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea University, Seoul, South Korea

    Kun Jong Lee

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  1. Kun Jong Lee
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Sharmani Patricia Gabriel

  2. Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Nicholas O. Pagan

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Lee, K.J. (2018). Korean/American Literary Images of Black Amerasians. In: Gabriel, S., Pagan, N. (eds) Literature, Memory, Hegemony. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-9001-1_7

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