Zainichi: How Violence and Naming Determine A Consciousness
Abstract
The purpose of this research paper is to identify how the post-colonial Koreans (also
known as zainichi) who remained in Japan after World War II form their identity. The
challenge within this question lies in the fact that these zainichi are not citizens
of Japan or Korea. Rather they are in a perpetual state of limbo, having both Japanese
and Koreans forcing their ideals and beliefs on them. This lack of nationality creates
overwhelming challenges and pressure for the zainichi to figure out who they are without
others telling them who they should be.
In order to analyze this central question of zainichi identity formation I have chosen
to analyze two popular films about zainichi identity made over 30 years apart. The
films in question are Nagisa Oshima’s 1968 film Death by Hanging and Isao Yukisada’s
2001 film GO. Within these films I will analyze two separate themes that are crucial
to the identity formation of the zainichi, Violence and Naming. After reviewing the
data my conclusion is that the zainichi do not form their own identity. Rather it
is the Japanese and their outdated nationalistic beliefs that form the identity of
the zainichi. Until the Japanese are able rid themselves of their old Imperial Japanese
identity, the zainichi will be unable to form their own.
Type
Master's thesisDepartment
Graduate Liberal StudiesPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9738Citation
Osborn, William (2015). Zainichi: How Violence and Naming Determine A Consciousness. Master's thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9738.Collections
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