Zoidberg
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Location: Somewhere too hot for my delicate marine constitution
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 Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:21 am Post subject: Ethnic nationalism is a source of both pride and prejudice |
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It's kind of old (6 months), but I think it's a pretty balanced and well written article.
(Which has probably already been posted before)
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Korea's ethnic nationalism is a source of both pride and prejudice, according to Gi-Wook Shin
Originally appeared in The Korea Herald, August 2, 2006
Ethnic pride source of prejudice, discrimination
Blood-based ethnic national identity has hindered cultural and social diversity in Korea, experts say
By Gi-Wook Shin, Director at Shorenstein Asia Pacific Research Center
Koreans have developed a sense of nation based on shared blood and ancestry. The Korean nation was "racialized" through a belief in a common prehistoric origin, producing an intense sense of collective oneness. Ethnicity is generally regarded as a cultural phenomenon based on a common language and history, and race understood as a collectivity defined by innate and immutable phenotypic and genotypic characteristics.
But historically, Koreans have not differentiated between the two. Instead, race served as a marker that strengthened ethnic identity, which in turn was instrumental in defining the nation. Koreans thus believe that they all belong to a "unitary nation" (danil minjok), one that is ethnically homogeneous and racially distinctive.
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Korea needs to institutionalize a legal system that mitigates unfair practices and discrimination against those who do not supposedly share the Korean blood. Koreans need an institutional framework to promote a democratic national identity that would allow for more diversity and tolerance among the populace, rather than simply appeal to an ethnic consciousness that tends to encourage false uniformity and enforce conformity to it.
They should envision a society in which they can live together, not simply as fellow ethnic Koreans but as equal citizens of a democratic polity. It should be an integral part of democratic consolidation processes that Korea is currently undergoing. Otherwise, it would be hard to expect Korea to become "Asia's hub," which will require the accommodation of cultural and ethnic diversity and flexibility.
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