This book traces the development of Korean immigrant nationalism within the context of the Korean independence movement which sought to liberate Korea from Japanese colonial rule. Regarding Japanese rule as illegitimate, Koreans in and out of the Korean peninsula viewed themselves as stateless peoples who wanted to establish a sovereign state of their own. Given Japanese repression in Korea, independence activities had to be carried out from abroad, creating conditions for the emergence of a diasporic nationalism. The conditions of statelessness and exile necessitated that the independence mov ... More

This book traces the development of Korean immigrant nationalism within the context of the Korean independence movement which sought to liberate Korea from Japanese colonial rule. Regarding Japanese rule as illegitimate, Koreans in and out of the Korean peninsula viewed themselves as stateless peoples who wanted to establish a sovereign state of their own. Given Japanese repression in Korea, independence activities had to be carried out from abroad, creating conditions for the emergence of a diasporic nationalism. The conditions of statelessness and exile necessitated that the independence movement create a sovereign national state outside the territorial boundaries of Korea. Situated at the nexus of geopolitical relations involving Korea, Japan, and the United States, Koreans in America came to play a vital role in the state-building project of Korean diasporic nationalism. The independence movement however failed to create a national state that could act with sovereign authority. As a result, U.S.-based Koreans increasingly came to rely on the United States to act as a sovereign state to pursue the national interests of Koreans throughout the diaspora. This book contends this strategic reliance on U.S. state power reflected the development of an ethnic consciousness among Korean immigrants in America. Zealous transnational commitments to homeland politics prompted Korean immigrants to establish a politico-legal presence within U.S. state structures and institutions to attain independence for Korea. In the process, Korean immigrants emerged as a distinct political interest group whereby ethnicity served as an organizational resource for making nationalist claims in the U.S. political arena.