Date of Award
8-16-2024
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
English Language and Literatures
First Advisor
Susan Vanderborg
Second Advisor
Anne Gulick
Abstract
The Korean War (1950–1953) left a profound mark on the Korean peninsula, its people, and their diaspora, with its impact still felt today. Korean War literature serves as a vital source for understanding the war's social and cultural ramifications, particularly for marginalized groups, including military sex workers, mixed-race children, and mixed Korean adoptees. Emphasizing the role of interraciality in their experiences, the dissertation delves into literary representations that depict encounters between Korean women and American soldiers, leading to the formation of novel mixed-race families both within military camp towns in Korea and domestic spaces in the United States. While much scholarship on Korean American literature focuses on post-1965 immigration narratives within the framework of Asian American immigrant literature, this dissertation contends that reading these works through the lens of war literature offers a richer understanding of Asian American identity formation. This approach aligns with recent calls to view Asian American literature as inherently intertwined with war and imperialism. By examining these experiences, the dissertation seeks to expand the field's focus beyond single-race immigration narratives and contribute to the understanding of knowledge on the Cold War. Reading Asian American literature as war literature, this dissertation argues that the literary examination of overlooked mixed-race families in the aftermath of the Korean War extends beyond immigration narratives of single-race families, contributing to knowledge of the cultural impact of the Korean War within the Cold War context. This dissertation examines contemporary works of literature by American writers, including novels by Nora Okja Keller, Heinz Insu Fenkl, Chang-rae Lee, and an anthology by mixed-race Korean adoptees. Through an examination of interracial relationships within the context of Korean War literature, the dissertation challenges mono-ethnic cultural norms, revealing how war, interraciality, and cultural background shape the experiences of characters, enriching discussions of war, immigration, and familial belonging.
Rights
© 2024, Hyunwook Kim
Recommended Citation
Kim, H.(2024). The Disruption of Kinship: Interracial Relationships, Displacement, and Marginalized Mixed-Race Families in Korean War Literature. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7812