Behind the veil : exploring the perceived prejudice types of Hijabi muslim women in South Korea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Recent trends in international migration show that there has been a significant increase in the Muslim population in South Korea, including Muslim women. Although several studies have been conducted on discrimination faced by hijab-wearing Muslim women in predominantly non-Muslim Western countries, the topic remains under-researched in East Asian countries where the Muslim population continues to rise. The purpose of the current study is to thickly describe the lived experience of hijabi Women in South Korea and draw types of prejudice and discrimination that they have faced in Korean society. This study used data from in-depth interviews of 12 hijabi women of different backgrounds and ethnicities living in South Korea. Here used their interviews to analyze and code the interviews to find common themes of the responses based on a qualitative research methodology.
What kind of prejudice and discrimination do Muslim women residing in Korea face? This study first introduces how multiculturalism is understood in the context of Korea. The Korean government has been using a strategy to ‘assimilate’ to Korea, but it has come to recognize the need for ‘coexistence’ of several cultures in recent years. This context becomes an important context for understanding the situation facing hijabi women in Korea. The literature review defines the core concepts of this study, prejudice, and discrimination. And it encompasses domestic (Korean) and international studies based on this issue. The review results can be summarized as follows: No wonder anyone can give positive and negative evaluations of Islam. However, when an outsider makes a negative assessment of Islam, it is concluded that individuals with Islamic religion or Islamic culture are also negative; this acts as an element of oppression for each individual.
The subject of the study is the prejudice and discrimination of others (Koreans) recognized in the lives of Muslim women living in Korean society. Following the tradition of prior research, prejudice was defined as a typical cognitive framework and discrimination as a manifest behavior. These concepts were set as the basic frame for interview analysis. According to a study of prejudice and discrimination against Muslim women conducted mainly in the West, they experienced deterioration in their quality of life, such as employment crisis, mental pain, and social isolation. In the case of Korea, although prejudice and ignorance of Islam are prevalent, research on discrimination experienced by Muslim individuals in Korea is insufficient. Among them, women who continue to wear the traditional religious symbol of hijab are more likely to be in a more aggressive situation because of the nature of their religion being revealed. Therefore, this study understands the lives of Muslim women who wear hijabs living in Korean society, and through this, derives the types of prejudice that Koreans have against hijab women.
This research focuses on the recognition in the lives of Muslim women living in Korean society. Following prior research, ‘prejudice’ was defined as a typical cognitive framework and ‘discrimination’ as a manifest behavior. These concepts were set as the basic frame for interview analysis. According to a study of prejudice and discrimination against Muslim women conducted mainly in the Western society, they experienced deterioration in their quality of life, such as employment crisis, mental pain, and social isolation. In the case of Korea, although prejudice and ignorance of Islam are prevalent, research on discrimination experienced by Muslim individuals in Korea is insufficient. Among them, women who continue to wear the traditional religious symbol of hijab are more likely to be in a more aggressive situation because of the nature of their religion being revealed. Therefore, this study understands the lives of Muslim women who wear hijabs living in Korean society, and through this, derives the types of prejudice that Koreans have against hijab women.
As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that hijab women are exposed to discrimination in Korean society in everyday life. Economically, they were not given an opportunity while job-searching and working. Socially, they were excluded from the dining table or could not get along naturally. Even in public places, they had to face strange gazes, feelings of discrimination that were difficult to be aware of, and even direct language attacks. Hijab women sometimes explained the meaning of hijab or tried to change the style of hijab, but they felt limited in their personal coping. Their usual response to all the social pressure was to be silent.
Four types of prejudice were derived in this study. First, “She may have been linked to violence or crime.” This prejudice type is a reflection of the media portraying Islam as a dangerous religion. Due to this type of prejudice, hijab women are suspect as potential criminals in their daily lives. Second, “She cannot get along well with Koreans.” This prejudice type reveals the exclusive culture of Korean society that does not even recognize differences such as eating rules and traditional clothing. For this reason, hijab women had to be excluded from the socialization process at school or work. Third, “She is a person who is compliant with women’s oppression.” This perspective evaluates hijab women based on only one branch of feminism that means oppression of hijab women. We ignore the fact that women could voluntarily wear hijabs because of their religious beliefs. Fourth, “Hijab is a light personal taste.” This prejudice type is a passive type of prejudice based on insouciance and ignorance. It is a perspective that the hijab women understand as harmless by removing the meaning they have given to hijab.
The results of this study make us rethink how exclusive Korean social culture is. Based on this new understanding, Korean society must understand and consider the socially underprivileged multicultural members. Community-level and government-level efforts would be needed to continuously promote multiculturalism and diversity among Koreans, considering the enormous role the education system and mass media. Additionally, providing educational materials and programs to Koreans on the important pillars of Islam and the meaning behind wearing hijab by Muslim women would significantly improve the status of South Korea as a diversity-embracing multicultural nation. Furthermore, awareness on the subject of discrimination and its impact on the lives of foreigners would need to be raised among Koreans in the form of social campaigns and educational programs to promote tolerance and pluralism in South Korea. Above all, publicizing that discrimination and prejudice adversely affect the lives of foreign members of society will be a social mechanism for reconsidering and promoting tolerance and pluralism in Korea.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Contents
• ABSTRACT 1
• I. INTRODUCTION 5
• II. LITERATURE REVIEW 8
• 2.1. Multiculturalism in Korea 8
• 2.2. Prejudice and Discrimination 9
• 2.3. Lived Experience of Hijabi women under the prejudice 12
• 2.4. Prejudice and discrimination on Hijabi Women in South Korea 16
• III. METHODOLOGY 19
• 3.1. Research Question and research method 19
• 3.2. Research Participants 21
• IV. FINDINGS 24
• 4.1. Words they heard 24
• 4.2. Discrimination they face 28
• 4.2.1. Workplace and job search 28
• 4.2.2. Socializing 31
• 4.2.3. Other Social Exclusions 32
• 4.3. Personal response against prejudice and discrimination 34
• 4.4. Discrimination types and Prejudice types 37
• 4.4.1. Discrimination types 37
• 4.4.2. Prejudice types 38
• V. CONCLUSION 43
• 5.1. Summary and discussion 43
• 5.2. Implications and Future Research 45
• REFERENCES 49
• 국문초록 54