In Andre Haag, Catherine Ryu, and Christina Yi, eds., Passing Posing, Persuasion: Cultural Production and Coloniality in Modern Japan. (link) Excerpt from Translator’s Introduction: In the history of Zainichi critical discourse on names, passing, and sōshi kaimei (lit. “establishing family names and changing given names”), the dominant lens on these questions has been that of…
Available from Seoul Selection. (link) An Ethnic Korean Woman in Japan Struggles to Find Her Identity When she utters “our country,” which does she mean, Korea or Japan? Lee Yang-ji’s short stories “Yuhi” and “Nabi T’aryǒng” portray the agony and inner conflict of Zainichi (ethnic Koreans residing in Japan) who find themselves considered strangers both…
Available from Columbia University Press. (link) The Curious Tale of Mandogi’s Ghost incorporates Korean folk tales, ghost stories, and myth into a phenomenal depiction of epic tragedy. Written by a zainichi, a permanent resident of Japan who is not of Japanese ancestry, the novel tells the story of Mandogi, a young priest living on the island of…
Cindi L. Textor 