Performing Community: A Comparison of Korean-Language Newspapers in Beijing and Sydney

• Published in: Diaspora (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 227 - 252
• Main Author: Lee, Sung-Ae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Aliens; Asian Cultural Groups; Australia; Beijing; Beijing, Peoples Republic of China; China; Community; Cultural Identity; Diaspora; Ethnic Identity; Ethnicity; Foreigners; Identity; Korean language; Media; Migration; Press; Sydney; Sydney, Australia
• ISSN: 1044-2057; 1911-1568; 1911-1568
• DOI: 10.1353/dsp.2008.0010

Ethnic newspapers reflect & constitute Korean diasporic identity as it develops in the ongoing negotiation between the culture of origin, which is always changing, & the politics, culture, & social life of the diaspora's new host countries. This study examines these processes as displayed in two contrasting Korean-language weeklies, the Beijing Journal & the Sydney Korean Herald, & shows the major role played by the host society's social formation in the diasporic community's identity negotiation. The Beijing Journal teaches its Korean readers the ways of the majority Chinese culture & encourages them to assimilate into the Chinese life. The Sydney Korean Herald provides its readers with a broad mix of both Western & Korean cultural practices & lifestyles. The author examines the content of the two papers, considers how it influences the readers, & discusses how awareness of possible discrimination is expressed. The analysis reveals a strong contrast between the papers. They "perform Koreanness differently." The Beijing paper, reflecting its emphasis on assimilationism, includes no specifically Korean references on its front page, while the Sydney paper presents almost exaggerated accounts of the diasporic Koreans' originality, cleverness, & achievements. Tables, Figures, References. S. Stanton