As we close out Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we highlight a noteworthy title, Be(com)ing Korean in the United States: Exploring Ethnic Identity Formation Through Cultural Practices by S. Sonya Gwak.
The following is a quote from the book:
The very act of exploring ethnic identity foregrounds the significance of articulating an aspect of our selves that links us to our families, peers, traditions, transnational histories, and diasporic communities and distinguishes us from the flattening effects of racial categorization. Therefore, producing ethnicity in the United States is in constant flux, negotiating between how we are identified as ethnic and racial subjects and how we identify ourselves as Korean.
Displacement from our ancestral home increases the salience of ethnic identity as something that must be produced and cultivated. In other words, being Korean cannot be predicated solely on originating from the nationstate, Korea, but necessitates further elaborations based on proof of ancestry, family history, and notions of primordial ties. The process of becoming Korean cannot rely merely on quotidian experiences but fosters the teaching and learning of cultural practices that are constructed as Korean in a variety of ways.
Preview this book here and buy the book on Amazon.
Title: Be(com)ing Korean in the United States: Exploring Ethnic Identity Formation Through Cultural Practices
Authors: S. Sonya Gwak
Publisher: Cambria Press
ISBN: 9781604975840
372 pp. | 2008 | Hardback & E-book
Book Webpage: http://www.cambriapress.com/books/9781604975840.cfm