抄録
This paper first provides an overview of the production of visual documentaries of the “Korea Town" in Ikuno, Osaka, in which a camera stabilizer (Steadicam) was used to make visual and digital documents of the neighborhood in field research. Finally, some challenges and questions facing sociological researches using visual media are discussed.
“Korea Town" is an ethnic market place located in the center of Korean community in Osaka, which includes one of the largest Korean populations in Japan. The first documentary was produced in 1990. Further the second documentary was made in 2007 by using the similar filming method.
In order to analyze the visual documentaries, residents of the Korean community and researchers in different academic or ethnic backgrounds were interviewed on historical change of the community and asked the meaning of each symbol representing ethnic cultures.
The analysis indicates that the “Korea Town" has clearly strengthened the tendency of visualization of their ethnic identity.
