Multicultural Convivial Practices in a Zainichi Korean Ethnic Festival:

The “Politics of Existence” Strategy Observed at Higashi-Kujo Madang

Abstract

Previous studies have warned that multicultural convivial practices in Japanese society often fall into the trap of maintaining discrimination and inequality structures. This article examines a strategy of multicultural convivial practices intended to avoid this trap by analyzing the case of Higashi-Kujo Madang, a Zainichi Korean ethnic festival with some multicultural aspects. Previous studies of this festival have not recognized its complete nature and significance, although they have suggested that its characteristics resemble Korean ethnic culture, multicultural conviviality, or local community.

Higashi-Kujo Madang places great importance on various cultural or ethnic people individually expressing themselves. It not only represents the ideas of Zainichi Koreans' People's Cultural Movement but also depicts an individualistic perspective. Both these facets are on display during the festival, which is held in the Higashi-Kujo area where various discriminated peoples live. Furthermore, the festival expands these facets toward multicultural conviviality to fit the characteristics of its area. Thus, Higashi-Kujo Madang is an amalgam of three features: Korean ethnic culture, multicultural conviviality, and local community.

This article highlights that the festival signifies the so-called “politics of existence” strategy, which can help avoid the trap of multicultural convivial practices. Higashi-Kujo Madang not only deconstructs dominant discourses and representations spread in a local community but also reconstructs them to fit multicultural conviviality through an autotelic formation as a festival based on universalistic human values. These practices are thus “representing their existences” through the “politics of ‘appearing existence’” (Kurihara 2005) of the various peoples.