Sonia Ryang's "Eating Korean in America" explores the intersection of national and global food identities through Korean cuisine in Iowa City, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. She examines how traditional dishes like naengmyeon and galbi evolve in American contexts, revealing insights about authenticity, colonial histories, and cultural displacement.
Exploring love through a social and historical lens, this book examines the interplay between intimacy and power dynamics. It distinguishes between idealized love and sexual love, featuring chapters on sexualized rituals, the Abe Sada murder case, and the tragedy of Miko and Mako, alongside the 1990s 'enjokosai' phenomenon. Combining ethnographic, theoretical, and archival research, it offers valuable insights for scholars in Japanese anthropology, feminist anthropology, and gender studies.
The book offers a critical examination of post-war anthropology in Japan, highlighting how dominant conceptual and methodological frameworks have shaped and limited the understanding of Japanese culture. Sonia Ryang delves into the biases present in Anglophone anthropological writings, revealing how these perspectives have obscured a more nuanced view of Japan. Through empirical analysis and theoretical insights, the study encourages a reevaluation of existing narratives in Japanese studies.
The book delves into the experiences of three generations of North Koreans in Japan affiliated with Chongryun, examining their language, ideology, and identity. It highlights the ways individuals and the community navigate evolving perceptions of Japanese society and their own Korean heritage, revealing the complexities of cultural reconciliation and adaptation over time.