This book provides a comparative perspective on the contemporary experiences of 1.5 generation Korean immigrants around the world. The contributors study 1.5 generation Korean immigrants in America, New Zealand, Argentina, and Canada while exploring key issues of identity, transnationalism, and culture.

The 1.5 Generation Korean Diaspora: A Comparative Understanding of Identity, Culture, and Transnationalism provides insights into the contemporary experiences of 1.5 generation Korean immigrants around the world. By exploring Korean emigrants’ lives in host locations such as Los Angeles, Boston, Toronto, Auckland, Argentina, and Deluth, the contributors study the inherent complexities of being a 1.5 generation immigrant and show that 1.5 generation immigrants are a unique group that deserves further study. The contributors analyze key issues, such as the 1.5 generation’s identity negotiations, their occupational trajectories, the role of ethnic communities and institutions, changing values of love and marriage, the cultural tension involved in parenthood, their health needs and services, and ethnic and transnational entrepreneurship.

Chapter 1: Introducation

Jane Yeonjae Lee and Minjin Kim

PART I. Community, Identity, and Belonging

Chapter 2: Making Sense of Migrant Life: Ethnicity among 1.5 Generation Koreans in Argentina

Irene Yung Park

Chapter 3: Experiences of Religious Marginalization and Identity Development Among Non-Christian Korean Americans

Jane Yeonjae Lee

Chapter 4: Ritual and Visibility: The Plays of Ins Choi

Alicia Corts

PART II. Family and Gender

Chapter 5: Bridging Loves: How Korean-American Mothers and Daughters Trouble: “Tradition and Modernity” through Love

Su C. Choe

Chapter 6: Negotiating Cultural Tension: Parenthood and 1.5 Generation Korean-New Zealanders

Hyeeun Kim

PART III Health and Well-being

Chapter 7: Healthcare Utilization among 1.5-generation Korean Americans: Comparison with Other Immigrant Generation Koreans and 1.5 Generation Asian Subgroups

Sou Hyun Jang

Chapter 8: Sexual Health Behaviors, Substance Use, and Health Care Utilization among Korean American Women

Minjin Kim and Hyeouk Chris Hahm

PART IV Transnationalism and Entrepreneurship

Chapter 9: Navigating In-betweenness: How 1.5 Generation Immigrant Entrepreneurs Recombine Resources from Both Worlds

June Y. Lee and Edison Tse

Chapter 10: Female Transnational Entrepreneurs (FTEs): Transnationalism, Gender, and Identity

June Y. Lee and Jane Yeonjae Lee