Chinese Koreans (Chosunjok) in Buenos Aires: their ethnic identity and ties with the Korean community and Argentinean society

By Mirta Bialogorski, University of Buenos Aires

In the middle '90's, Chinese citizens of Korean origin known as chosunjok, started to arrive in Argentina through the connection with South-Korean residents already established in this country. In particular, they began working in the textile industry--which is currently much extended among this community, as well as in certain areas connected to the former.

We would like to point out that we face a migrant with a particular complexity with respect to the double cultural and identitarian feature. Their most important ties have led them to become a part of the transnational Korean community, whereas their national reference is China, their country of origin.

This double feature has to be dealt with and solved in the relationship-in this scenario-held with the Argentinean people, the Korean community and the Chinese one. None of them has a frequent interaction among them and both have a strong structure. There will not be a total identification with either of them and, in addition, they will only partially recognize them as a part of the particular group of belonging.

Published: Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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