Defying national homogeneity: Hidden acts of Zainichi Korean resistance in Japan

Abstract

This article draws attention to the shifting dialectical relationship that exists between everyday acts of resistance and the forms of domination they seek to subvert. Using ethnographic data collected in Osaka’s Koreatown, we analyze some of the ways in which young Zainichi Koreans, the descendants of colonial subjects who migrated to Japan, use daily acts of self-preservation to chip away at hegemonic notions of Japanese national homogeneity. Seemingly trivial choices to dissimulate one’s identity, transmit cultural practices, and maintain historical memory constitute neglected forms of opposition that illustrate the contextual nature of Zainichi Korean resistance against marginalization and forced assimilation. These strategies offer a reservoir of resources that can be tapped into for collective political action, keeping the embers of resistance alive in between periods of open protest.