Acculturation Attitudes among Zainichi Koreans Living in Japan

抄録

This study examines two viewpoints on acculturation among the ethnic group of Zainichi Koreans, who settled, or whose ancestors settled, in Japan during the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945): the "traditional" view of acculturation (which includes four types of acculturation: assimilation, integration, marginalization, and separation), based on Western academic research, and the "context-specific" or "unattached" view, which conveys a desire for freedom from and a lifestyle or orientation that resists being constrained by pre-determined Korean or Japanese cultures and identities, preferring to identify as "human beings" or "individuals." Through an ANOVA test, our research found that unattachment score was highest in a more integrated group—contrary to our hypothesis that it would be highest in a more marginalized group, who irrespective of the conceptual connection between marginalization and unattachment have a tendency toward integration in their "real lives." These findings can help us understand the daily lives, identities, and perspectives of Zainichi Koreans and other ethnic minorities in Japan.