Caught in the Middle : Korean Communities in New York And Los Angeles / Pyong Gap Min; ed. by Pyong Gap Min.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Min, Pyong Gap, Author.

Contributor:

Min, Pyong Gap, Editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Korean American business enterprises--California--Los Angeles.

Korean American business enterprises.

Korean American business enterprises--New York (State)--New York.

Korean Americans--California--Los Angeles.

Korean Americans.

Korean Americans--New York (State)--New York.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (274 p.) ill

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [1997]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

In this unflinching exploration of one of the most politically charged topics of our time, Pyong Gap Min investigates the racial dynamics that exist between Korean merchants, the African American community, and white society in general. Focusing on hostility toward Korean merchants in New York and Los Angeles, Min explains how the "middleman" economic role Koreans often occupy-between low-income, minority customers on the one hand and large corporate suppliers on the other-leads to conflicts with other groups. Further, Min shows how ethnic conflicts strengthen ties within Korean communities as Koreans organize to protect themselves and their businesses.Min scrutinizes the targeting of Korean businesses during the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1990 African American boycotts of Korean stores in Brooklyn. He explores Korean merchants' relationships with each other as well as with Latin American employees, Jewish suppliers and landlords, and government agencies. In each case, his nuanced analysis reveals how Korean communities respond to general scapegoating through collective action, political mobilization, and other strategies.Fluent in Korean, Min draws from previously unutilized sources, including Korean American newspapers and in-depth interviews with immigrants. His findings belie the media's sensationalistic coverage of African American-Korean conflicts. Instead, Caught in the Middle yields a sophisticated and clear-sighted understanding of the lives and challenges of immigrant merchants in America.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustrations and Tables

Acknowledgments

CHAPTER 1 Introduction

CHAPTER 2 Host Hostility and Middlemen's Reactions

CHAPTER 3 Korean Communities: New York and Los Angeles

CHAPTER 4 Korean Immigrants' Economic Segregation

CHAPTER 5 Hostility toward Korean Merchants in Black Neighborhoods

CHAPTER 6 Sources of Hostility toward Korean Merchants

CHAPTER 7 Koreans' Efforts to Improve Relations with African Americans

CHAPTER 8 Korean-African American Conflicts: Positive Effects

CHAPTER 9 Korean Merchants' Collective Responses to Suppliers, Landlords, and Government Agencies

CHAPTER 10 Collective Actions and Power in the Korean Community

CHAPTER 11 Korean Businesses: Negative Effects

CHAPTER 12 Conclusion

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 09. Dez 2023)

ISBN:

0-520-91769-3

0-585-05353-7

OCLC:

1414456491