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Monash University Korean Studies Research Hub (MUKSRH) presents:

 

Monash Beyond Borders Korean Studies Seminar Series 2024

Seminar 2

''Multicultural' Accommodations of South Korea: Its developments and Debates.

Dr Hyun Mee Kim (Yonsei University)

 

 Via ZOOM, 17th April, 4pm Melbourne time

Abstract: 

Since the 1960s, multiculturalism policies have been adopted in the West, responding to the demands of various civil movements centered on race, gender, and immigration. In April 2006, the South Korean government proclaimed a transition to a 'multi-ethnic, multicultural society', leading to a significant shift from the single-ethnicity paradigm as the discourse on multicultural society boomed. This shift was underpinned by an increase in migrants, particularly since the 1990s, with a rapid rise in international marriages noted after the 2000s, underscoring the need for 'social integration' of immigrants. Families from international marriages were designated as 'multicultural families', and viewed as a 'vulnerable group' by the Korean government, which provided various social welfare services through the Multicultural Family Support Act. This talk aims to analyze the complex political dynamics embedded in Korea's multicultural society discourse and policies from a gender perspective. It seeks to explore the meanings of 'multicultural society' as negotiated among the state, civil society, and immigrant stakeholders, and to interpret the development and debates surrounding Korea's acceptance of multiculturalism.

Bio: 

Hyun Mee Kim 김현미 金賢美 is Professor in the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Yonsei University, South Korea. Her research interests include political economy of gender and labor, globalization and migration, refugee issues, and eco-feminism. She is the author of Cultural Translation in a Global Era (2005, in Korean) and We always leave home: Becoming migrants in South Korea (2014, in Korean/2019 in Chinese ), Feminist Lifestyle (2021 in Korean) and A Society of Flawless Fragments: Work Experiences and Adventures of Korean Women in their 20s to 60s (2023 in Korean). She also co-edited Multiculturalism in East Asia: A transnational exploration of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan (2016 in English).

Register above for a ZOOM link.

Please contact Monash University Korean Studies Research Hub Coordinator, Ms Sandy Nguyen for further details: Sandy.Nguyen1@monash.edu