• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.29-51
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• 2010

The diversity of Southeast Asia can be also represented at the tremendous number of ethnic groups residing throughout its various regions even beyond national boundaries. What does it mean by the composite of numerous peoples? It has triggered a lot of problems in a nation or overall Southeast Asia. Among them, the most serious one seems to be ethnic conflicts having damaged national integration and caused political, economical, and social instability. In that respect, Karen people have been a minority group situated in the most chronic dispute in Myanmar. Since 1947 some of the Karen equipped with armed forces have been fighting against the military government currently ruling Myanmar. As the result, the refugees over 200,000 population had moved to the mountain camps located at neighboring Thailand, attracting a lot of attention throughout international societies. According to 1931 census by British colonial government, the Karen have the greatest numbers in population as minority and include 16 subgroups including Karenni(Kayah) and Pa-O seemingly excluded from its category in contemporary point of view. It means that Karen people should not be regarded as an ethnic group, and in fact do not show a homogeneous identity under the title of Karen. Given the situation, we need to reconsider the category of Karen. What does the Karen mean in a real sense? Previous studies on the Karen had been performed mainly by anthropologists or missionaries such as Marshall(1922), Hamilton (1976), Hanson Tadaw(1959), Smeaton(1920), Keyes(1979), Hayami (1992; 2004), etc. Most of them examined the Karen as a group and ignored the possibilities of representing the divergent identities vis-à-vis their subgroups. Therefore, they have focused on the myth to convert Karen people to Christianity, although the Christian Karens are less than 20% of total population. As a result, I argue that they would fail to define the real meaning of Karen. It has been caused us to recognize the Karen as a meaningless total entity to be accepted by all means. According to their arguments, the difference among Karen's subgroups is just dealt with the trivial matters that do not affect the ethnic boundary itself, still maintaining the ethnic identity as Karen. As we shall see on this thesis, this is never the case. My thesis aims at uncovering and scrutinizing the real meaning of the category of Karen. For the purpose of it, I will consider Karen people as a linguistic group from the beginning as shown in 1931 census. I argue that the Karen have been affected or exposed by various conditions or environments throughout the harsh history having happened on the areas of current Myanmar and Thailand, leading the vicissitudes of their ethnic identities.

• Journal of International Area Studies (JIAS)
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.395-420
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• 2009

Academic discourses on Swahili identity have been focused on either its Bantu or Arabic-originated theories. Both theories, nevertheless, have a common feature: a unilineal origin of Swahili identity. This paper questions on this Swahili identity and argues that Swahili identity has been developed through historical experience and discourses. For this, the paper utilizes Barth's theory of situationalism. Barth(1998(1969)) suggests that maintaining an ethnic identity is a personal or group choice out of multiple layers of social identities according to his or their social environments. Tanzanian Swahili identity is a good case for this analysis. Based on fieldwork conducted at Magomeni and Msasani in Dar es Salaam, a capital of Tanzania, the paper shows that residents in both areas hold strong Swahili identities although they have different social and historical experience. In case of Magomeni, most of the residents came from Zanzibar, a core Swahili cultural area. They trace their original genealogy from Arabia peninsular. Besides, they argue that they speak a proper kiSwahili(Swahili language) distinguishable from inland kiSwahili. On the contrary, residents of Msasani show variety of ethnic identities, far from a proper Swahili. They have adapted Swahili identities since the independence of Tanzania. With the help of strong socialist policies, including a language policy, most of Tanzanian ethnic groups have ignored their own identities and accommodated a national identity, Tanzanian(waTanzania) or Swahili people(waSwahili). Makonde immigrants from Mozambique who consists the majority of residents in Msasani also easily accommodate Swahili identity in the course. Therefore, Makonde have began to rebirth as waSwahili by claiming that they are living in Tanzania and speak kiSwahili as a mother tongue.

• Korean Architects
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• s.507
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• pp.46-50
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• 2011

• 한국사회복지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.389-405
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• 2002

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.823-833
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• 2006

The globalization phenomenon of the 21st century has acted as the catalyst to accept diversity, and a new cultural code, ethnic, has emerged in the modem society by the pursuit of diversity throughout the whole society and culture. Unlike preceding studies focusing on ethnic concepts and design development, this study attempted comparative analyses on ethnic trends shown in the collections of two designers, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, who have strong ethnic consciousness. It is considered the comparative analysis on the two designers' collections with ethic images will be a guide to indicate the fashion philosophy of the two designers in the category of Japan, and this will be useful as basic data for the establishment of the globalization identity which is needed in the future fashion industry. The study results are as follows. First, it was found that the ethnic code has been so widely accepted by the world designers in a very positive form to accept foreign cultures that the ethnic code is now showing an aspect of eclecticism. Second, designer Issey Miyake has been pursuing his own ethnic style based on his philosophy to liberate humans through continuous researches and efforts on clothes. Third, Yohji Yamamoto has been pursuing a Japanese ethnic style as a designer who has expressed the unique beauty of Japan from the characteristics of Japanese traditional clothes. Fourth, as a result of comparative analyses on collections, they both have pursued an ethnic style based on the unique national characteristics of Japan, but it was also found that their fashion philosophy has developed differently in the same category of ethnic trend.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.355-368
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• 2017

Regarding to Dandong as the gateway city of the Sino-North Korea trade, cultural anthropology characterizes it with a hybridity of four groups with a different combination of ethnic and national identity: Korean Chinese(Chosonjok), South Koreans, North Koreans and Chinese-North Koreans. And, microeconomics views the enterprises in Dandong area have different sizes and types in the Sino-North Korea cross-border trade depending on their owner's ethnic and national identity. However, these researches focuses mainly on the differences between the groups, falling short in showing how the group members utilize their double identities to maintain and prosper their businesses, coping with various and changing situations. This study introduces the concept of 'identity juggling' and applies it to Chosonjok cross-border traders. The results from the in-depth interview and survey indicate they juggles their Korean ethnic identity and Chinese national identity selectively in terms of their bilinguality of the Korean and Chinese, mobility crossing China, South Korea, and North Korea, and prospects on the trade revitalization thanks to potential mitigation of tensions in Korea peninsula.

• American Studies
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.131-158
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• 2021

This paper examines how nation-specific history of Asian war brides affects different representations of war brides in Velina Hasu Houston's Tea (1984) and Julia Cho's The Architecture of Loss (2003). While war brides had long been excluded from American history, Japanese war brides were brought to public attention in the 1980s. Korean war brides, on the other hand, were kept out of sight until the 2000s. Focusing on how this time gap is related to ethnic difference, this paper analyzes dramaturgical differences between the two plays such as the presence/absence of war bride on stage or ethnic solidarity/familial reconciliation as the main device of war bride memorialization. Such differences, the paper suggests, stem from ethnic/historical differences between Korean and Japanese war brides. Through historical interpretations of the plays, this paper argues that America's military relationships with Korea and Japan were reproduced within the Asian-American families of each drama in ways that raise questions about pan-Asian identity.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.149-171
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• 2017

This article examines the image of the nation of the Union of Myanmar (Burma) by comparing the history textbook and the civic textbook prescribed in state schools during the period of independence from 1948 to 1958. After the Second World War, the political conditions gave the way for the formation of the Union of Myanmar composed of ethnic nationals in Myanmar. To shape the national identity, the newly-founded independent nation in 1948, introduced textbooks in history and civics for the purpose of nation building. The paper concludes that the history textbook illustrated the golden ages of the Myanmar kingdom by way of national consolidation and portrayed ethnic nationals as homogenous; on the other hand, the civic textbook defined a citizen as one who is born and raised in Myanmar; it also included migrant Asians such as Chinese and South Asians in the fold. The history textbook aspired for the national consolidation of ethnic nationals for the strength and prosperity of the country while the civic textbook required cooperation from both ethnic nationals and migrant Asians for peace and development of the country and the world.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.573-586
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• 2008

Many studies of Korean immigrants in America reveal that about 70% of them attend a Korean church. Within Korean immigrant churches members exchange information and advice while they maintain their cultural traditions and ethnic norms. Recently some 2nd-generation Koreans have gradually started their own Korean congregations, known as English ministries(EMs) while some of them leave their Korean Christian churches. The future of Korean ethnic society in America depends much on the extent of 2nd-generation Koreans' retention of their ethnic culture.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.32
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• pp.133-166
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• 2013

Using the observation technique and in-depth interview, the current study compared various aspects of multicultural education between Korea and Canada and suggested the direction Korea's multicultural education needs to take. As a part of class curriculum, the researcher interviewed the representative of Ansan Foreign Center (AFC) and the president of the Kosian's House, a NGO for multicultural educations. The observations and experiences of the researcher were also used in this study. The results of the current study are as follows. First, multicultural education is provided for the minority group in Korea, whereas multiculturalism is included and taught for every student in Canada. In addition, the current multicultural education of Korea focuses on language and culture acquisition to help the students to adjust. Canada, on the other hand, focuses on accepting other cultures and ethnic equality, creating both identities as their ethnic origin and as Canadians. Second, in language educations, both countries had students enrolled in lower school years than their age. However, the differences occurred in terms of emotional support and availability of expert teachers. Third, comparing teacher's attitude towards multicultural education, Korean teachers were not free from perceiving the multicultural student as 'different', whereas Canadian teachers have been taught since little to consider multicultural students as Canadians, but accept their ethnic backgrounds. Based on the results, the current study suggested multicultural education program for the majority group, increase in number of expert language teachers and teaching assistants, and an education program to teach multiculturalism as part of an identity of humankind. The limitations and suggestions for future studies were provided afterwards.