This article attempts to trace and reconstruct Korean women’s experiences and their memories of deportation to Uzbekistan. It argues that by considering of intersection of nation/ethnicity and gender, it needs to approach to multi-facet and multi-cu...
This article attempts to trace and reconstruct Korean women’s experiences and their memories of deportation to Uzbekistan. It argues that by considering of intersection of nation/ethnicity and gender, it needs to approach to multi-facet and multi-cultural identity of Korean women in Central Asia. In this article, I conducted research to support this argument in two ways, doing in-depth interviews with Korean women survivors and descendants in Uzbekistan from micro (individual experiences and historical memory) level, as well as analyzing official documents from the macro (Soviet national policy, and migration policy) level. The women did not quietly submit to their husbands or their male authority, but tried to settle in a new deportation place by envisioning various strategies. Soviet policies such as passport and ‘propiska’ for resettlement and laws for family policy, public education affected differently between man and woman. Partly, settling in new place was suffering but this gave woman more chances. Women who are interviewed only referred positive memories and they denied exposing their negative memories. This shows the historical memories about deportation under Stalin period are partially distorted, omitted and embellished.