Citizenship in South Korea’s Global Age

Abstract

My thesis examines experiences of citizenship in contemporary South Korean society using an anthropological lens. Through ethnographic methods such as participant observation and semi-formal interviews, I analyze how individuals of different legal statuses understand and negotiate their citizenship and the conditions of belonging. Situating this study within the context of a globalizing Korea, I consider how citizenship is shaped by overlapping histories of developmental, militarized, and neoliberal governance. I explore citizenship through themes of temporality, hospitality, and neoliberalism, tracing how people make sense of their national identities. In doing so, I examine how they come to terms with not just their legal status, but the greater underlying social and emotional realities of navigating these conditions.