Volume IV Special Issue VIII October 2024

Name of Author : Dana M

Title of the paper : Broken Bonds and Resilient Spirits: Reconstructing Identity in the Zainichi Diaspora through Min Jin Lees Pachinko

Abstract: Min Jin Lees Pachinko offers a deep look into the complexities of identity in the Zainichi Korean diaspora, highlighting themes such as diaspora and identity crises, hybridity, and transnationalism. The story explores the lives of Korean immigrants in Japan, where the severing of ties with their homeland and the social alienation they face highlight the profound challenges of the diaspora. Their resilient spirit, as depicted by Lee, highlights the hybrid identity that formed in response to systemic alienation and cultural dislocation. Through the lens of transnationalism, the novel examines how these people navigate their fragmented lives and strive for belonging and self-definition amidst persistent ethnic and national borders. The analysis illuminates survival struggles and adaptation strategies within the diaspora, illustrating the dynamic interplay between imposed identities and self-constructed resilience. In this way, Pachinko serves as a poignant commentary on the fragmented yet stubborn identity of the Korean community in Japan.

Keywords : Diaspora, Hybridity, Transnationalism, Alienation, and Displacement

DOI :

Page Number : 1-5