Abstract
This paper will focus on the invisibleness and everyday practices of Zainichi Koreans living in my hometown, Okayama, a regional city of Japan, based on fieldwork research. It questions conventional identity politics and its theory by illuminating everyday practices of young Zainichi Koreans living in the local community. First, this paper discusses two major forces that enhance the individualization of Zainichi Koreans today. Second, it clarifies the mechanism of “double invisibleness” and how Zainichi Koreans became invisible in the double meanings; first by being considered socially solved and second by being neglected from the theoretical framework of identity politics. Third, this paper focuses on “tactics” Zainichi Koreans have used in their everyday lives to combat such mechanisms. Based on these theoretical frameworks, and in order to illuminate such invisible spheres in double meanings, this paper focuses on data from fieldwork research and the researcher's involvement with the field and informants by reflecting cleaned data, “banal” cases, and the failure of interviews.
