University of North Carolina doctoral student, EuyRyung Jun, under the guidance of Dr. Donald M. Nonini, will undertake research on how the idea of multiculturalism is developed and deployed in the wake of increased immigration. The research will be carried out in South Korea, which has experienced an increase in immigration for work and marriage. The notion of "damunhwa," which means "multi-culture" or "multiculturalism," as been developed and promoted by migrant centers, which are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with immigrant issues. Interestingly, such practices focus more on the self-transformation of the native population than on problems encountered by migrants. This research will examine the activites pursued in the name of multiculturalism to explore their origins, their effects on the South Korean citizenry, and their consequences for immigrants.
The researcher will undertake twelve months of fieldwork in the greater Seoul area using a mix of ethnographic and historic methods. Primary research sites will include the migrant centers, related state agencies, and citizens involved in working with migrants. Research methdologies include interviews, archival research, document analysis, and focus groups. The research objectives are to examine the relationship between local NGOs' damunhwa practices and the ethical normativity of tolerance of, and rights to, difference, and how they reconfigure or not the political and ethical fields of cultural difference in South Korea.
This research is important because it will contribute to a new comparative social science of practices surrounding international immigration, including multiculturalism and human rights, and to better understanding of NGOs, their effects on public discourse, and their relationship to the state. In addition to these theoretical contributions, this study will help to understand the larger consequences of policies developed to help social minorities in Korea and beyond. The research also will contribute to the education of a social scientist.
