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My Sociological Autobiography:

Immigrant Asian –American (Korean)

Introduction

For the most part of my childhood, I spent my life in North Korea, the country that I was born and raised as a girl. Both my parents are privileged to have had a source of income from their casual labor to sustain us and bring food to the table. Both worked to ensure I have quality education so that my future life can be successful and less strenuous than theirs. Growing up, people around me talked migrating to the United States of America if ever a chance presents their way. It was always talking about taking a risk, sacrificing, working hard, and sacrificing several things just to be able to attain the best version of oneself; The American Dream.

Since childhood, I have always had an interest in studying the history of our people. At one given point, I came across the story of Asian immigrants and their enclaves and ‘ethnoburbs’ in the United States (Zhou and Ocampo 3). Previously, immigrants would settle in city enclaves because of cheap housing, entry for available employment opportunities, and support from members of their ethnic groups. Recently, the various ethnic communities of the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Indians, and Filipinos, vary in terms of family types, class, and religious backgrounds. For this reason, the trend for Asian Americans has changed to embrace diversity ad expansion to newer locations, compared to the one known to be enclaves for Asian Americans ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”dYbgaqzr”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Zhou and Ocampo 8)”,”plainCitation”:”(Zhou and Ocampo 8)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:860,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/E8NDELUM”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/E8NDELUM”],”itemData”:{“id”:860,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”The third edition of the foundational volume in Asian American studiesWho are Asian Americans? Moving beyond popular stereotypes of the “model minority” or “forever foreigner,” most Americans know surprisingly little of the nation’s fastest growing minority population. Since the 1960s, when different Asian immigrant groups came together under the “Asian American” umbrella, they have tirelessly carved out their presence in the labor market, education, politics, and pop culture. Many times, they have done so in the face of racism, discrimination, sexism, homophobia, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Today, contemporary Asian America has emerged as an incredibly diverse population, with each segment of the community facing its unique challenges. When Contemporary Asian America was first published in 2000, it exposed its readers to the formation and development of Asian American studies as an academic field of study, from its inception as part of the ethnic consciousness movement of the 1960s to the systematic inquiry into more contemporary theoretical and practical issues facing Asian America at the century’s end. It was the first volume to integrate a broad range of interdisciplinary research and approaches from a social science perspective to assess the effects of immigration, community development, and socialization on Asian American communities. This updated third edition discusses the impact of September 11 on Asian American identity and citizenship; the continued influence of globalization on past and present waves of immigration; and the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and class on the experiences of Asian immigrants and their children. The volume also provides study questions and recommended supplementary readings and documentary films. This critical text offers a broad overview of Asian American studies and the current state of Asian America.”,”ISBN”:”978-1-4798-2622-3″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: sQHMCgAAQBAJ”,”number-of-pages”:”680″,”publisher”:”NYU Press”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”Contemporary Asian America (third Edition): A Multidisciplinary Reader”,”title-short”:”Contemporary Asian America (third Edition)”,”author”:[{“family”:”Zhou”,”given”:”Min”},{“family”:”Ocampo”,”given”:”Anthony C.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2016″,4,19]]}},”locator”:”8″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (8). These reasons made me seek the consent and advice of my parents to pursue further education in the united states, with another aim of looking for better work opportunities.

I applied for a scholarship to study the Bachelors of Science in Social Work. The place of residence I had in mind was staying in California. The Asian Americans have an uneven yet stable geographical distribution amongst the American states. For example, regions like Washington DC and the New York metropolitan area have the most significant number of Chinese, Asian Indians, and Koreans ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”i4nYlaWN”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Zhou and Ocampo 9)”,”plainCitation”:”(Zhou and Ocampo 9)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:860,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/E8NDELUM”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/E8NDELUM”],”itemData”:{“id”:860,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”The third edition of the foundational volume in Asian American studiesWho are Asian Americans? Moving beyond popular stereotypes of the “model minority” or “forever foreigner,” most Americans know surprisingly little of the nation’s fastest growing minority population. Since the 1960s, when different Asian immigrant groups came together under the “Asian American” umbrella, they have tirelessly carved out their presence in the labor market, education, politics, and pop culture. Many times, they have done so in the face of racism, discrimination, sexism, homophobia, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Today, contemporary Asian America has emerged as an incredibly diverse population, with each segment of the community facing its unique challenges. When Contemporary Asian America was first published in 2000, it exposed its readers to the formation and development of Asian American studies as an academic field of study, from its inception as part of the ethnic consciousness movement of the 1960s to the systematic inquiry into more contemporary theoretical and practical issues facing Asian America at the century’s end. It was the first volume to integrate a broad range of interdisciplinary research and approaches from a social science perspective to assess the effects of immigration, community development, and socialization on Asian American communities. This updated third edition discusses the impact of September 11 on Asian American identity and citizenship; the continued influence of globalization on past and present waves of immigration; and the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and class on the experiences of Asian immigrants and their children. The volume also provides study questions and recommended supplementary readings and documentary films. This critical text offers a broad overview of Asian American studies and the current state of Asian America.”,”ISBN”:”978-1-4798-2622-3″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: sQHMCgAAQBAJ”,”number-of-pages”:”680″,”publisher”:”NYU Press”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”Contemporary Asian America (third Edition): A Multidisciplinary Reader”,”title-short”:”Contemporary Asian America (third Edition)”,”author”:[{“family”:”Zhou”,”given”:”Min”},{“family”:”Ocampo”,”given”:”Anthony C.”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2016″,4,19]]}},”locator”:”9″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (9). Koreans and Filipinos live in large numbers in the Los Angeles metropolitan. The Koreans are also found in Bergan County, north of New Jersey, where they reside and conduct their commercial services. Major states that used to contain the Asian American populations were California, Hawaii, and New Jersey ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”67Sfq9ik”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Sanchez et al., 2012)”,”plainCitation”:”(Sanchez et al., 2012)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:698,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/KC5DF2LT”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/KC5DF2LT”],”itemData”:{“id”:698,”type”:”article”,”title”:”KOREATOWN:A CONTESTEDCOMMUNITY AT A CROSSROADS”,”author”:[{“family”:”Sanchez”,”given”:”Jared”},{“family”:”Terriquez”,”given”:”Veronica”},{“family”:”Kim”,”given”:”Mi Young”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2012″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} . Due to the immigration rules made easy, other states such as Texas, Illinois, Washington, Florida, and Virginia became newer residences for the immigrants.

After a successful arrival in the USA, I have noticed disparities on the ground of sociological constructs between my home country in North Korea and the USA. Switching from one culture to another, commonly termed as “culture-shock” is something inevitable any immigrant will face. Nevertheless, time will always tell what to become of a person under the influence of two different cultural backgrounds. In this paper, I will highlight details about my personal life and its connection to sociology by discussing the various encounters between people in North Korea and the United States. Under sociology, my sociological autobiography will cover themes on gender roles, sexual orientations, economic practices, ethnicity and race, education, and social classes.

Asians, in general, and other immigrants have found settling in and being assimilated into the American culture a hard task to achieve ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”PRjVrg0W”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Bergsten et al. 4)”,”plainCitation”:”(Bergsten et al. 4)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:870,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/7SDG2KKN”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/7SDG2KKN”],”itemData”:{“id”:870,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Koreans living in the United States have generated an increase of about 15 to 20 percent in trade between the United States and Korea. This is one of the surprising conclusions reached in this special report, which, upon the 100th anniversary of the migration of Koreans from their homeland, looks at the impact of the 6 to 7 million people who make up this diaspora on both South Korean and overseas economies. No country in history has ever succeeded in building a developed and high-income economy without participating in the global economy; globalization is imperative for economic success. And one of the largest elements of globalization, in addition to international trade and investment, is migration. In The Korean Diaspora in the World Economy, experts hold up South Korea as one of the most dramatic examples of that experience, having gone from being a poor, underdeveloped country fewer than 40 years ago to becoming a postwar economic success story. This report also looks at South Korea’s role as a regional trading partner and its present and future relations with North Korea.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-88132-358-0″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: 3twZUkqE5NkC”,”number-of-pages”:”184″,”publisher”:”Peterson Institute”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”The Korean Diaspora in the World Economy”,”author”:[{“family”:”Bergsten”,”given”:”C. Fred”},{“family”:”Choi”,”given”:”Inbom”},{“family”:”Chʻoe”,”given”:”In-bŏm”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2003″]]}},”locator”:”4″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Bergsten et al. 4). American was initially a white nationalist society, whereby the whites considered themselves superior to other ethnicities. They believe that different ethnicities should find a place of their own, which is the best for both of them regarding this similar matter. This story motivated me to learn about racism and why other races, such as the Asian immigrants find it hard to fit in these societies dominated by the white, majority who are already on top of the racial ladder, with privileges and opportunities denied to many. Racism has been a major bone of confrontation throughout centuries ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”4M8QpGsH”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Bergsten et al. 9)”,”plainCitation”:”(Bergsten et al. 9)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:870,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/7SDG2KKN”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/7SDG2KKN”],”itemData”:{“id”:870,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Koreans living in the United States have generated an increase of about 15 to 20 percent in trade between the United States and Korea. This is one of the surprising conclusions reached in this special report, which, upon the 100th anniversary of the migration of Koreans from their homeland, looks at the impact of the 6 to 7 million people who make up this diaspora on both South Korean and overseas economies. No country in history has ever succeeded in building a developed and high-income economy without participating in the global economy; globalization is imperative for economic success. And one of the largest elements of globalization, in addition to international trade and investment, is migration. In The Korean Diaspora in the World Economy, experts hold up South Korea as one of the most dramatic examples of that experience, having gone from being a poor, underdeveloped country fewer than 40 years ago to becoming a postwar economic success story. This report also looks at South Korea’s role as a regional trading partner and its present and future relations with North Korea.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-88132-358-0″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: 3twZUkqE5NkC”,”number-of-pages”:”184″,”publisher”:”Peterson Institute”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”The Korean Diaspora in the World Economy”,”author”:[{“family”:”Bergsten”,”given”:”C. Fred”},{“family”:”Choi”,”given”:”Inbom”},{“family”:”Chʻoe”,”given”:”In-bŏm”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2003″]]}},”locator”:”9″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (9). On my arrival, I realized how various communities had segregated themselves in members of similar racial origins. The primary purpose of Koreatown was to become an entry point for Korean immigrants ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”Dw0RTlyq”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Kim 10)”,”plainCitation”:”(Kim 10)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:862,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/WCSRUW2X”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/WCSRUW2X”],”itemData”:{“id”:862,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Koreatown, located in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles,is the heart and nexus for Koreans in America. In the early20th century, a small Korean community–many of whomwere active leaders and supporters of the Korean independencemovement–initially settled around Bunker Hill. The communitymigrated in the 1930s toward Jefferson Boulevard, near the Universityof Southern California, to an area known as Old Koreatown. Bythe late 1960s, following the freeway construction boom and theHart-Cellar Act of 1965, Korean markets, restaurants, and businessesbegan to blossom along Olympic Boulevard. Today, Koreatown is athriving urban center where Koreans, Hispanics, and Bangladeshiscoreside in one of the most densely populated and diverse sectionsof Los Angeles. Its boundaries were officially designated by the LosAngeles City Council on August 20, 2010.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-7385-7552-0″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: lgaL4QsFHDUC”,”number-of-pages”:”132″,”publisher”:”Arcadia Publishing”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”Los Angeles’s Koreatown”,”author”:[{“family”:”Kim”,”given”:”Katherine Yungmee”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]}},”locator”:”10″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Kim 10). This place was in a strategic location for easy access to affordable housings, employment opportunities, and social support for fellow Asian, specifically Korean immigrants that were already having US citizenship.

Koreatown is a town in Los Angeles where Korean running the majority of Korean businesses. However, when I arrived in the town, I could not understand who is the valid ‘owner’ of the town. The reason is that Hispanians dominate the place with governance from the whites and blacks. However, the most intriguing discovery was that businesses used the Korean language to write on business signs. In my opinion, this was a sign of a national identity ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”SiSkkV3h”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Kim 15)”,”plainCitation”:”(Kim 15)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:862,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/WCSRUW2X”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/WCSRUW2X”],”itemData”:{“id”:862,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Koreatown, located in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles,is the heart and nexus for Koreans in America. In the early20th century, a small Korean community–many of whomwere active leaders and supporters of the Korean independencemovement–initially settled around Bunker Hill. The communitymigrated in the 1930s toward Jefferson Boulevard, near the Universityof Southern California, to an area known as Old Koreatown. Bythe late 1960s, following the freeway construction boom and theHart-Cellar Act of 1965, Korean markets, restaurants, and businessesbegan to blossom along Olympic Boulevard. Today, Koreatown is athriving urban center where Koreans, Hispanics, and Bangladeshiscoreside in one of the most densely populated and diverse sectionsof Los Angeles. Its boundaries were officially designated by the LosAngeles City Council on August 20, 2010.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-7385-7552-0″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: lgaL4QsFHDUC”,”number-of-pages”:”132″,”publisher”:”Arcadia Publishing”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”Los Angeles’s Koreatown”,”author”:[{“family”:”Kim”,”given”:”Katherine Yungmee”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]}},”locator”:”15″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (15). Apart from using writing as a form of identification, small to large businesses are marked with the Korean language. The business signs written in Korean will possibly send away customers who are not of the same ethnicity. The physical location of Koreatown is that it stands at a border between the Korean and USA nations ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”JupwSgOh”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Kim 30)”,”plainCitation”:”(Kim 30)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:862,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/WCSRUW2X”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/WCSRUW2X”],”itemData”:{“id”:862,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”Koreatown, located in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles,is the heart and nexus for Koreans in America. In the early20th century, a small Korean community–many of whomwere active leaders and supporters of the Korean independencemovement–initially settled around Bunker Hill. The communitymigrated in the 1930s toward Jefferson Boulevard, near the Universityof Southern California, to an area known as Old Koreatown. Bythe late 1960s, following the freeway construction boom and theHart-Cellar Act of 1965, Korean markets, restaurants, and businessesbegan to blossom along Olympic Boulevard. Today, Koreatown is athriving urban center where Koreans, Hispanics, and Bangladeshiscoreside in one of the most densely populated and diverse sectionsof Los Angeles. Its boundaries were officially designated by the LosAngeles City Council on August 20, 2010.”,”ISBN”:”978-0-7385-7552-0″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: lgaL4QsFHDUC”,”number-of-pages”:”132″,”publisher”:”Arcadia Publishing”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”Los Angeles’s Koreatown”,”author”:[{“family”:”Kim”,”given”:”Katherine Yungmee”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]}},”locator”:”30″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (30). I learned from history and inquiries that the early Korean immigrants did not form a compact enslave such as Chinatown and Little Tokyo. This characteristic of enclave Koreatown contributed to less official recognition compared to others. Besides, previously serving as an entry for immigrants, it has developed into a town with diverse nationalities and races. It is a home for the largest number of Koreans in America. The people live in Los Angeles and Orange City. There is a dominant Korean culture, as seen from signs written in the Korean language.

Gender roles are evident in all types of societies. As a person grows, society dictates their specific gender roles, female versus male. Societies are different. That is why it is possible to find one gender role is accepted in a particular society while in another, it is an activity for another. In North Korea, especially in the villages, women engage in more traditional works, such as housekeeping or other blue-collar jobs. The men, on the other hand, do other manual work or office jobs (Sechiyama 15). However, in the increasing wave of women empowerment, women have the opportunity to an education and working better jobs compared to the past. In the US, there were no gender-specific roles. Both could engage in any work available provided it brings you money at the end of the day.

Education is the key to a successful life. Growing up, that was my major inspiration and motivation, continually working hard to attain a higher education that will put me in a better position, especially in the work environment. In the USA, matters about education are taken with the seriousness they deserve ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”liXc1P4c”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Wang et al. 67)”,”plainCitation”:”(Wang et al. 67)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:868,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/P7GVEE6X”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/P7GVEE6X”],”itemData”:{“id”:868,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”This book is written by a diverse cohort of both of American educators, including professors, teachers, school counselors, and school administrators from pre-K to college levels. Most of the contributors come from disciplinary areas of English as a second language and school administration. With the pressure of Common Core State Standards Initiative, American educators are now shifting their focus to standards-based instruction. Meanwhile, Chinese educators are moving away from national standards and developing state level curriculum and instruction to meet specific needs of the students in local provinces. There is also a debate about whether or not to use the National College Entrance Examination as the only test for college admission. Some provinces (e.g., Zhejiang and Hubei) are administering their own college entrance examinations. The book outlines the sociocultural roots of education in the three countries, linking the tradition and philosophical orientations to each country’s own history of education. Furthermore, the book compares and contrasts the curriculum, especially the teaching of English as a second/foreign language, in three countries. This book examines the stress of students, physical education, various pedagogical styles in foreign language education as well as instructional texts and cross-cultural dialogue between teachers. Additionally, the book explores factors that influence parent’s involvement and women’s educational and career aspirations. Lastly, the book presents modern technologies such as smart learning technologies and online learning platforms not only to facilitate future educational systems but also to promote international exchanges. The chapters of the book are thematically diverse, but they help to provide inspirations for educators both in American and Asian countries. The findings offer alternative practical lenses for educational community to seek for some “middle ground” between Chinese, South Korea and American education. The intended audience for this book is graduate students, teachers, administrators, and professionals in education.”,”ISBN”:”978-1-64113-878-9″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: 5qPbDwAAQBAJ”,”number-of-pages”:”248″,”publisher”:”IAP”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”Educational Practices in China, Korea, and the United States: Reflections from a Study Abroad Experience”,”title-short”:”Educational Practices in China, Korea, and the United States”,”author”:[{“family”:”Wang”,”given”:”Chuang”},{“family”:”Kolano”,”given”:”Lan”},{“family”:”Kim”,”given”:”Do-Hong”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2020″,3,1]]}},”locator”:”67″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Wang et al. 67). Compared to my country, there are more improved learning facilities, libraries, community colleges and universities, and many outlets. People conduct research work that has made a significant contribution to science and art disciplines. The majority of well-known professionals and brilliant minds went through the US education system. An example is Fred Hoyle, an English astronomer and astrophysicist who made theories about discovering the universe, stars, and the Milky Way Galaxy system. I would wish to recommend this particular discovery that my country embraces how the US education system works. It will save many from trying to look for an opportunity outside of their countries to achieve their American dream.

Another important observation I made is concerning society’s perceptions of immigrants. Previously, immigrants to the USA were perceived to be uneducated and poor. However, today, Asian immigrants frequent the country armed in professional qualifications such as degrees and proficiency in the English language. Moreover, these new generations are financially stable, which enables them to maneuver their way into the US economy with ease(Pardo 4). This also puts them in the advantage of transforming their businesses, their residents, and other community to become a place that will serve them as if they were home. The new ‘homes’ have a rich culture and a considerable contribution to America’s economy ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”vvYzIwMF”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Pardo 10)”,”plainCitation”:”(Pardo 10)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:878,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GKAEIYAQ”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GKAEIYAQ”],”itemData”:{“id”:878,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”This book analyses North Korea’s foreign policy towards the United States during the Kim Jong Il era. Throughout these years, North Korea sought but failed to normalise diplomatic relations with the United States. Making use of theories of bargaining and learning in International Relations, the book explains how the inability of the Kim Jong Il government to correctly understand domestic politics in Washington and developments in East Asian international relations contributed to this failure. As a result, Pyongyang accelerated development of nuclear weapons programme with the aim of strengthening its negotiating position with the US. However, towards the end of the Kim Jong Il government it became unclear whether North Korea is willing to reverse its nuclear programme in exchange for normal diplomatic relations with the United States. The book includes material from over 60 interviews with American, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian policy-makers and experts who have dealt with North Korea. It also analyses in detail Pyongyang’s official media articles published during the Kim Jong Il era. This work will be of great interest to students and scholars of US Foreign Policy, Korean Politics and International Relations alike.”,”ISBN”:”978-1-317-66952-4″,”language”:”en”,”note”:”Google-Books-ID: txOLAwAAQBAJ”,”number-of-pages”:”173″,”publisher”:”Routledge”,”source”:”Google Books”,”title”:”North Korea – US Relations under Kim Jong II: The Quest for Normalization?”,”title-short”:”North Korea – US Relations under Kim Jong II”,”author”:[{“family”:”Pardo”,”given”:”Ramon Pacheco”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2014″,5,9]]}},”locator”:”10″,”label”:”page”}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (10). Further, they can comfortably engage in grassroots leaderships and electoral politics, compared to the past when they faced racial segregation, which barred them from having better job opportunities and political representativeness.

A few moments following my arrival, I observed that the amount of wealth and prestige defines social classes. The wealthy Americans stay in affluent suburbs comparing to immigrants who reside in ethnic enclaves. They receive good health services, safety in their environments, a good education, and easy access to various social amenities. Moreover, compared to my home country, social classes in America are grouped as capitalist, upper middle, lower middle, working poor, and underclass. In North Korea, their social classes are differentiated by only a few boundaries. I observed that the recent influx of immigrants from various ethnicities no longer stays in these neighborhoods. The neighborhoods usually are left for the older generations, newer immigrants, or people who cannot move out of there due to strict restrictions hindering their movement. For instance, many Asian Americans are living in suburban communities. The newer generation of immigrants is no longer staying in the overcrowded and metropolitan areas for Asian Americans. The wealthier population chooses to live in the suburbs. However, poorer Asians stay in rented and less affluent neighborhoods. However, I also discovered that gentrification has made it easier for smaller Asian American communities, in this case, Koreans, to maintain stability in their regions. Immigrant Koreans deserve security, which is facilitated by the ability to afford a home in a decent environment.

Another observation I made is that gender and social class has an impact on each other. In my home country, women do not have the privilege of choosing which social class they should belong to. Men, however, they have the chance to better job opportunities than women do, which in most case, is a determinant to where a person eventually finds himself or herself in the social ladder. This concept in the USA is also prevalent but in fewer incidences. The contributing factors include the realization that both men and women deserve equal opportunities, and these should be made available for all of them.

When I arrived in the USA, I discovered that the news I could hear regarding sexual orientations such as transgender, LGBTQ communities, and others was indeed an actual phenomenon. In my country, for example, it is rare to hear about other sexual engagements rather than the standard male and female relationships ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”5EB3XRhh”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(S\uc0\u225{}ez 85)”,”plainCitation”:”(Sáez 85)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:866,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/W75R9W45″],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/W75R9W45″],”itemData”:{“id”:866,”type”:”book”,”abstract”:”This book shows six different realities of same-sex families. They range from full recognition of same-sex marriage to full invisibility of gay and lesbian individuals and their families. The broad spectrum of experiences presented in this book share some commonalities: in all of them legal scholars and civil society are moving legal boundaries or thinking of spaces within rigid legal systems for same-sex families to function. In all of them there have been legal claims to recognize the existence of same-sex families. The difference between them lies in the response of courts. Regardless of the type of legal system, when courts have viewed claims of same-sex couples and their families as problems of individual rights, they have responded with a constitutional narra