Ambivalence in 'Reunification': Identity, Homeland and Boundaries in the North, South and Joseon Korean Diaspora(s) in the UK.

75年来，朝鲜半岛经历了分裂和疏远，暴露出殖民主义和战争的碎片。直到今天，民族国家和政治的边界仍在切断这个曾经统一的半岛。然而，在伦敦郊区一个名为新莫尔登的“不起眼”的地方，来自三八线两侧的朝鲜族和中国（朝鲜）的朝鲜族正在共存。乍一看，酒吧和炸鱼薯条店与卡拉OK酒吧和烤肉餐厅一起描绘了一幅同质化的散居者及其所在县的画面。然而，当深入挖掘时，似乎是一个统一的朝鲜族社区，而不是三个不同的社区，由来自韩国，朝鲜和中国的朝鲜族（朝鲜族）组成。英国是欧洲最大的韩国人口和朝鲜半岛以外最大的朝鲜人口的家园。随着大多数韩国侨民定居在新莫尔登，这个案例研究提出了自己作为一个全球性的例子，所谓的“统一”前殖民韩国。这个项目的目的是调查有争议的边界的身份和家园内的韩国侨民（S）在新马尔登的独特的案例研究。韩国侨民的动荡历史使公民身份、民族以及随后的身份和家园的界限问题化。使用广泛的民族志透镜，包括采访，参与观察和虚拟民族志，我将探讨的形成，紧张局势和谈判的多重，不断变化的边界的韩国身份。我还将考虑不同媒体在这些过程中的作用。本研究将探讨以下问题：1.在韩国侨民中，有哪些不同的身份认同和家园观念？这些是如何发展、维持和挑战的，我们如何解释它们？2.在伦敦的韩国侨民中，身份和祖国的不同边界如何相交、变化和转变？在这些不断变化的边界之下，有哪些动态的社会原则？3.不断发展的媒体技术在形成、挑战和改变这些不同的身份和家庭观念方面扮演着什么样的角色？这一独特的实证研究旨在为一个研究不足的社区提供实质性的贡献，以及更广泛地对散居和媒体的理论贡献。

For seventy-five years, the Korean peninsula has endured division and estrangement, revealing the debris of colonialism and warfare. To this day, boundaries of nation-state and politics disconnect a previously united peninsula. Yet, in an 'unremarkable' London suburb called New Malden, a co-existence of ethnic Koreans from both sides of the 38th parallel, as well as China (Joseon) is taking place. At first glance, seeing pubs and fish'n'chip shops alongside karaoke bars and bulgogi restaurants paint a picture of a homogenous diaspora and its host county. Yet, when digging deeper, what appears to be one unified Korean community are instead three distinct communities, consisting of ethnic Koreans from South Korea, North Korea and China (Joseon Koreans). The UK is home to the largest South Korean population in Europe, and the largest North Korean population outside the Korean peninsula. With the majority of Korean diaspora(s) settled in New Malden, this case study presents itself as a globally exclusive example of a so called 'reunified' pre-colonial Korea. The aim of this project is to investigate the contested boundaries of identity and homeland within the Korean diaspora(s) in the unique case study of New Malden. The turbulent history of the Korean diaspora(s) problematises the boundaries of citizenship, nation and subsequently identity and home. Using a wide-ethnographic lens, consisting of interviews, participant observation and virtual ethnography, I will explore the formations, tensions and negotiations of the multiple, shifting boundaries of Korean identity. I will also contemplate the role of different media in these processes. This project will explore the following questions:1. What different identities and notions of homeland are present in the Korean diaspora(s)? How are these developed, maintained and challenged, and how can we explain them? 2. How do different boundaries of identity and homeland intersect, change and shift within the Korean diaspora(s) in London? What are the dynamic social principles underlying these shifting boundaries?3. What is the role of growing media technologies to form, challenge and shift these different notions of identity and home?This unique empirical study aims to provide a substantive contribution about an under-researched community, as well as theoretical contributions on diaspora and media more broadly.