Korean diasporic perceptions of Canada in the light of the CBC TV series Kim's Convenience

Title: Korean diasporic perceptions of Canada in the light of the CBC TV series Kim's Convenience
Variant title:
  • La perception de la diaspora coréenne du Canada à la lumière de la série télévisée de la CBC Kim's Convenience
Source document: The Central European journal of Canadian studies. 2019, vol. 14, iss. [1], pp. 47-61
Extent
47-61
  • ISSN
    1213-7715 (print)
    2336-4556 (online)
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Rights access
embargoed access
 

Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.

Abstract(s)
Based on the Korean-Canadian playwright Ins Choi's play Kim's Convenience, the TV series of the same name (which started airing on CBC in the fall of 2016 and is now in its third season) centers around the Kim family, who immigrated from Korea in the 1980s and run a convenience store in present-day Toronto. The series abounds in references to the Kim family's observations of their environment, and their typical first- and second-generation Korean Canadian responses to it. However, while the play tends to gravitate towards diasporic issues, the series can be seen as a transnational variation of the play presented through the Korean diasporic lens. Accordingly, the article will analyze the episodes of the first season of the TV series with two aims in mind. Firstly, it will attempt to shed light on the differences between the first- and the second-generation Korean immigrants' perception of Canada. Secondly, it will estimate how the Kim family's interaction with their environment is representative of a new transnational culture.
Inspirée par la pièce de théâtre Kim's Convenience de l'auteur dramatique coréen-canadien Ins Choi, la série télévisée du même nom diffusée à la CBC à l'automne 2016 est actuellement en sa troisième saison. Elle se concentre sur la famille Kim qui a immigré de la Corée de sud dans les années 1980 et qui gère un dépanneur à Toronto. La série regorge de références aux observations de la famille Kim sur leur environnement, ainsi qu'à leurs réponses typiques à la première et à la deuxième génération. Cependant, alors que la pièce a tendance à graviter autour de thèmes liés à la diaspora, la série peut être considérée comme une variation transnationale de la pièce présentée sous l'angle de la diaspora coréenne. En conséquence, l'article analysera les épisodes de la première saison de la série télévisée. Premièrement, il s'occupera des différences entre la perception du Canada des immigrants coréens de la première et de la deuxième génération. Deuxièmement, il évaluera comment l'interaction de la famille Kim avec son environnement est représentative d'une nouvelle culture transnationale.
References
[1] Choi, Ins. Kim's Convenience. Toronto: Anansi, 2012. Print.

[2] Choi, Ins and Kevin White. Kim's Convenience Toronto: CBC, 11 Oct. 2016 – 16 Dec. 2016. Television series.

[3] Clark, Donald N. Culture and Customs of Korea. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2000. Print.

[4] Kim, Min-Sun. Non-Western Perspectives on Human Communication. Thousands Oaks: Sage Publications, 2002. Print.

[5] Lee, Adrian. "Kim's Convenience: A TV first that doesn't buckle under the pressure." Macleans. 10 Oct. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2019. (https://www.macleans.ca/culture/television/kimsconvenience-a-tv-first-that-doesnt-buckle-under-the-pressure/)

[6] Macdonald, Donald S. The Koreans – Contemporary Politics and Society. Boulder: Westview Press, 1996. Print.

[7] Schiller, Nina Glick, Basch, Linda, and Blanc-Szanton, Cristina. Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments and Deterritorialized Nation-States. London: Routledge, 2005. E-book.

[8] Shim, Youn-ja T., Min-Sun Kim, Judith N. Martin. Changing Korea: Understanding Korean Culture and Communication. New York: Peter Lang, 2008. Print.

[9] "Springfield! Springield! Kim's Convenience (§§2016§§) Episode Scripts." Web. 12 Feb. 2019. (https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/episode_scripts.php?tv-show=kims-convenience-2016)

[10] The Korean Canadian Women's Anthology Collective (eds). Han Kut. Toronto: Inanna Publications, 2007. Print.

[11] The Association of Korean History Teachers. A Korean History for International Readers. Seoul: Humanist, 2010. Print.

[12] "Transnational." Cambridge English Dictionary. N. p. Web. 12 Feb. 2019. (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/transnational)

[13] "Transnational." English Oxford Living Dictionaries. N. p. Web. 12 Feb. 2019. (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/transnational)

[14] Westernman, Ashley. "'Kim's Convenience' Is A Sitcom About Asian Immigrants — With Depth." N. p. Web. 9 June 2019. (https://www.npr.org/2019/01/09/682888290/kim-sconvenience-is-a-sitcom-about-asian-immigrants-with-depth?t=1560183234847)

[15] Williams, Bradley W. "Transnationalism." Creative Commons. 2015. N.p. Web. 21 Feb. 2019. (https://globalsocialtheory.org/concepts/transnationalism/)

[16] Zarum, Lara. "Kim's Convenience." The Canadian Encyclopaedia. N. p. Web. 9 June 2019. (https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/kims-convenience)