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Preface
In the first chapter, I will discuss some methodological issues regarding this ethnographic study, including my entrée into the group, my role as an ethnographer, my status as an integral member of the group, and the dialectical process of writing. This will be followed by a historical chapter that outlines the history of Korean immigration to the United States as rendered by three museum exhibits: the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibits entitled “A Korean American Century” (January–June 2003) and “Dreams and Reality: Korean American Contemporary Art” (August–September 2003); the Korean American Museum exhibit entitled “L.A. Koreatown: Celebration of Continuity and Change” (2004); and the Oakland Museum of California exhibit entitled “In Our Own Voice: The Making of a Korean Community” (January–November 2004). These exhibits reveal the history and diversity of people of Korean descent living in the United States today from three different points of view. The year 2003 marked the centennial of Korean immigration to the United States, and many organizations that support Korean American interests celebrated this event. Museums, especially, took this opportunity to show various facets of Korean immigration as well as the life histories of Korean American immigrants.