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National narratives and everyday subversions
Descriptive
TypeOfResource
Text
TitleInfo
Title
National narratives and everyday subversions
SubTitle
Korean women and military men in U.S. camptowns
Identifier
ETD_2181
Identifier
(type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.000051848
Identifier
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doi:10.7282/T39G5N0G
Language
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(authority = ISO 639-3:2007);
(type = text)
English
Genre
(authority = marcgt)
theses
Subject
(authority = RUETD)
Topic
Political Science
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Military bases, American--Social aspects--Korea
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Prostitution--Korea
Abstract
The objective of this dissertation is to explore the historical, material, and discursive realities of Korean women in the sex trade in U.S. camptowns.
With the use of political ethnography, I draw on a wide range of sources such as textual literature, films, first-hand qualitative interviews, and participant observation.
I make three major arguments: First, the existence of Amerasians and women in the sex trade in the camptowns has always been a polemic issue because it destabilizes the imagined and naturalized national identity which is constituted by the familial state and a biologically essentialist definition of race. In spite of the binary focus on nation and gender, two main strands of discourse -feminist rhetoric and nationalist narratives- have shared class based views on the women in the sex trade. Second, contrasting the public’s imaginations of the sex trade in terms of liaisons with foreign nationals, the women’s own narratives and life histories are centered on labor and reinhabitation (of the world). The construction of their life experiences demonstrates that 1) the practice of sex trade is not a question of sex but is on the continuum of other informal works; 2) being subject to victimization at one stage of their lives does not mean that their identities are permanently defined as victims. In re-narrating their lives and work experiences, this dissertation suggests an alternative view on the basis of such terms as “poisonous knowledge” and “abundance from hard labor.” Third, the oppression of women is daily and intersectional/multiple. The act of speech is not identical to voice. Thus, the women often employ unlikely forms of subversions including silence and social distance on a daily basis rather than establishing an open and assertive form of resistance.
With the use of political ethnography, I draw on a wide range of sources such as textual literature, films, first-hand qualitative interviews, and participant observation.
I make three major arguments: First, the existence of Amerasians and women in the sex trade in the camptowns has always been a polemic issue because it destabilizes the imagined and naturalized national identity which is constituted by the familial state and a biologically essentialist definition of race. In spite of the binary focus on nation and gender, two main strands of discourse -feminist rhetoric and nationalist narratives- have shared class based views on the women in the sex trade. Second, contrasting the public’s imaginations of the sex trade in terms of liaisons with foreign nationals, the women’s own narratives and life histories are centered on labor and reinhabitation (of the world). The construction of their life experiences demonstrates that 1) the practice of sex trade is not a question of sex but is on the continuum of other informal works; 2) being subject to victimization at one stage of their lives does not mean that their identities are permanently defined as victims. In re-narrating their lives and work experiences, this dissertation suggests an alternative view on the basis of such terms as “poisonous knowledge” and “abundance from hard labor.” Third, the oppression of women is daily and intersectional/multiple. The act of speech is not identical to voice. Thus, the women often employ unlikely forms of subversions including silence and social distance on a daily basis rather than establishing an open and assertive form of resistance.
PhysicalDescription
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electronic resource
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x, 237 p. : ill.
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Note
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Ph.D.
Note
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-236)
Note
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by Miduk Kim
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Kim
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Miduk
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Miduk Kim
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Leela
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chair
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Leela Fernandes
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Daniels
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Cynthia
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Cynthia R. Daniels
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Carroll
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Susan
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Susan J. Carroll
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Yans
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Virginia
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Virginia Yans
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Rutgers University
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Graduate School - New Brunswick
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2009
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2009-10
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xx
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Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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ETD
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Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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ETD doctoral
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Rights
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The author owns the copyright to this work
Copyright
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Copyright protected
Notice
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Availability
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Open
Reason
Permission or license
Note
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Kim
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Miduk
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Miduk Kim
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Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
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I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
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DateTime
2014-10-31
Detail
Access to this PDF has been restricted at the author's request. It will be publicly available after October 30th, 2014.
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