Południowokoreański nacjonalizm – kategoria Innego w budowaniu filmowych narracji narodowych
South Korean nationalism – the category of the Other in creation of national film narratives

Author(s): Joanna Beczkowska
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, International relations/trade, Politics of History/Memory
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: South Korea; Japan; North Korea; nationalism; national identity; film
Summary/Abstract: This study focuses on the role of the "Other" in shaping nationalism and national identity through a case study of South Korea and its relations with North Korea and Japan. The main goal is to identify, characterise and analyse the different roles assigned to neighbouring countries in the process of constructing South Korean national identity. The research focused on film narratives, which have a significant impact on shaping collective memory and national identity and constitute an important political and ideological tool. In South Korea, policy is shaped not only by rational factors but also in relation to two "Significant Others" - Japan and North Korea. In such a situation, emotional factors play a role in decision-making. Moreover, having two “Significant Others” and two identities – Korean and South Korean – complicates international relations. With Korean identity, South Korea should strive for unification with the DPRK while at the same time feeling the need to come to terms with the colonial period, which generates conflict with Japan. However, for the South Korean identity, the greatest threat is North Korea - also in the sense of symbolic legitimisation of Korean power and representation. This identity requires striving for domination over the DPRK and encourages cooperation with Japan based on shared values. Having two identities defined in relation to two different "enemies" means that the ROK's policy towards Japan and North Korea changes frequently. Identifying and characterising the roles that these states play as Significant Others in South Korean national narratives becomes a useful tool in analysing South Korea's behaviour in the international arena.

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