On My Own: Korean Businesses And Race Relations In America
by In-Jin Yoon /
1997 / English / PDF
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The Los Angeles riots shattered Korean immigrants’ naive belief
in the American dream. As many as 2,300 Korean shopkeepers lost
their lifetime investments in one day. Korean immigrants had
struggled for years to become economically independent through
small businesses of their own. However, the riots made them
realize how fragile their economic base is because their
businesses are dependent on the impoverished, oppressed, and
rebellious classes.
The Los Angeles riots shattered Korean immigrants’ naive belief
in the American dream. As many as 2,300 Korean shopkeepers lost
their lifetime investments in one day. Korean immigrants had
struggled for years to become economically independent through
small businesses of their own. However, the riots made them
realize how fragile their economic base is because their
businesses are dependent on the impoverished, oppressed, and
rebellious classes.
In
InOn My Own,
On My Own, In-Jin Yoon combines an intimate fieldwork
account of Korean-black relations in Chicago and Los Angeles with
extensive quantitative analysis at the national level. Yoon
argues that a complete understanding of the contemporary
Korean-American community requires systematic analyses of
patterns of Korean immigration, entrepreneurship, and race
relations with other minority groups. He explains how small
business has become the major economic activity of Korean
immigrants and how Korean businesses in minority neighborhoods
have intensified racial tensions between Koreans and minorities
like blacks and Latinos.
In-Jin Yoon combines an intimate fieldwork
account of Korean-black relations in Chicago and Los Angeles with
extensive quantitative analysis at the national level. Yoon
argues that a complete understanding of the contemporary
Korean-American community requires systematic analyses of
patterns of Korean immigration, entrepreneurship, and race
relations with other minority groups. He explains how small
business has become the major economic activity of Korean
immigrants and how Korean businesses in minority neighborhoods
have intensified racial tensions between Koreans and minorities
like blacks and Latinos.
“A groundbreaking study of Korean-black relations. Yoon’s
insights on immigration, entrepreneurship, and race relations
significantly enhance our understanding of urban racial
tensions.”—William Julius Wilson, Harvard University
“A groundbreaking study of Korean-black relations. Yoon’s
insights on immigration, entrepreneurship, and race relations
significantly enhance our understanding of urban racial
tensions.”—William Julius Wilson, Harvard University