ABSTRACT
To validate and legitimize their existence, first-generation Korean women who migrated to Japan before or during World War II constructed their identities as survivors in a foreign land through narratives of suffering and endurance. This chapter explores what these stories of hardship and struggle mean to the second generation of Zainichi Koreans and how these younger women have used the narratives personally, socially, and politically. The collective issei (first-generation) narrative serves for the second generation as a reminder of Zainichi Koreans' cultural history and existence in Japan, and recently, it has been elevated to serve an even greater purpose: inspiring needed social action for subsequent generations and the preservation of the Zainichi community. The women's memories and narratives that have come to life form the foundation of identity for multiple generations of descendants. This chapter illustrates how, from the macro level of society to the micro level of individual voices, such topics as memory and historical consciousness, cultural identity, multiculturalism, and the civic rights of communities and society members create repeating cycles, from personal to public back to personal and from individual to collective back to individual. These cycles offer a glimpse into how the development and progress of ideas that ignite a discourse about society influence not only individuals but also an entire community.
