Prelims

Half Title

Organized Labor and Civil Society for Multiculturalism

Title Page

Organized Labor and Civil Society for Multiculturalism: A Solidarity Success Story from South Korea

By

Joon K. Kim

Department of Ethnic Studies Colorado State University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2020

© 2021 Joon K. Kim.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83982-389-3 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83982-388-6 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83982-390-9 (Epub)

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures

List of Abbreviations

About the Author

Joon K. Kim is a Professor of Ethnic Studies at Colorado State University. Born in Seoul and educated in New York and California, he acquired an academic interest in international migration and multiculturalism in the United States, Korea, and Latin American countries. As a Fellow of the Fulbright Fellowship and the Korea Foundation Field Research, his research focuses on the political economy of immigrant labor, Korea’s migrant advocacy and civil society activism, the politics of race via immigration and citizenship, and multicultural education. His strength as a comparative and interdisciplinary scholar is demonstrated by publications in diverse fields and disciplines, including ethnic studies, sociology, history, education, and population studies. His focus on international and comparative labor migrations sprang from his earlier work, “The Political Economy of the Mexican Farm Labor Program, 1942-1964” (Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies), which won the ABC-CLIO America: History and Life Award from the Organization of American Historians. He is currently pursuing a new research project on Korean communities of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been completed without the support of many people and institutions. First and foremost, I would like to recognize the Association for Foreign Workers’ Human Rights in Korea and its past director, Park Seok-Woon, and the present director, Seok Won-Jung, who provided me with invaluable fieldwork experience when I first began research on migrant workers in Korea. My initial field research from 1995 to 1996 was funded by the Fulbright Program, with an institutional affiliation from Seoul National University’s Department of Sociology. I would like to extend my thanks to graduate students and professors who supported me during my residence in Seoul.

In 2007–2008, I returned to Korea during my first sabbatical leave. I am indebted to the Korea Foundation Field Research Fellowship for their financial support and to Yonsei University’s Korean Studies Program for the institutional affiliation. I am especially grateful to the Program Chair, Professor Kim Hyuk-Rae, for his guidance, generosity, and collaboration. I have also had a tremendous fortune in meeting numerous students and professors while presenting my findings at many institutions in Korea, including Sogang University, Korea University, Seoul National University, Cheongju University, and Changwon University. I extend my appreciation to professors Lee Jung-Hwan and Pyon Bo-Ki for their precious support and friendship. Finally, I am also delighted to serve the Korean Association for Multicultural Education under the leadership of professor Mo Kyung-Hwan, a long-time colleague since our graduate school days, and contribute as an Associate Editor of its journal, the Multicultural Education Review. I appreciate very much the encouragement and collegiality of the editors, professors Cha Yun-Kyung and Lee Moo Sung.

As well, numerous migrant advocacy organizations encouraged my research for the past 25 years. Among many, I am truly grateful to the Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea (JCMK) for providing me with an office space and to its then director, Wu Sam-Yeol, for his enthusiasm and confidence. My volunteer experience at the Korea Migrant Human Rights Center also allowed me to work in collaboration with the then director, Choi Hyun-Mo. Finally, I deeply appreciate all of the other JCMK member organizations, their directors, and, most importantly, to practitioners who work tirelessly in advocating for and solidarity with migrants and their families in Korea.

As my home institution, Colorado State University in Fort Collins has afforded me many opportunities to pursue my research abroad. I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Department of Sociology, my initial department in which I was tenured, and to the Department of Ethnic Studies, my current academic home. Lastly, I am thankful to my department colleagues and to so many other colleagues both in the United States and in Korea for taking part in reviewing my work over the years.