신자이니치의 등장과 재일코리안 사회의 관계적 재구성- 민단을 매개로 한 세대 융합과 모국 관계의 변형- = The Emergence of Shin Zainichi and the Relational Reconstruction of the Korean Diaspora in Japan

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines the generational transition currently taking place within the Zainichi Korean community not as a process of decline or dissolution, but as a transformative reconfiguration of social relations.
Focusing on Shin Zainichi—Koreans who migrated to Japan after the 1980s —the paper analyzes how these newer settlers have become active internal actors within established institutional settings, particularly the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan), and how they form new relational positions vis-à-vis earlier Zainichi generations.
Drawing on mixed-methods research, including data from the Mindan Vision Project (2024–2025), in-depth interviews, and participant observation, the study demonstrates that generational change within the community is not merely demographic but relational and processual. The findings show that Shin Zainichi do not simply inherit the historical memories of earlier Zainichi generations. Rather, through everyday practices and intergenerational learning, they reinterpret these memories, contributing to the formation of relational fusion and an ethics of resonance grounded in shared experience and practice.
Finally, the paper critically examines the limits of organization-centered governance frameworks and proposes a reconceptualization of diaspora governance based on mutual formation. By foregrounding relational practices and affective resonance rather than formal integration, this study offers an anthropological framework for understanding sustainability and coexistence in contemporary diaspora settings