Should feminism transcend nationalism? A defense of feminist nationalism in South Korea

Abstract

Much postcolonial Third World feminism literature has emphasized the gendered nature of nationalism and its negative effects on feminism. Thus, to secure feminism in postcolonial Third World feminist literature contends that gender takes precedence over nation and feminist discourse abandons nationalism. This article challenges the general understanding of gendered nationalism, which in particular prevails in postcolonial Third World feminism scholarship. Focusing on the history of the South Korean women's movement, I propose to show not only that the Korean feminist struggle is compatible with nationalist activities but also that Korean feminism and Korean nationalism reinforce each other in a constructive way. I am primarily concerned with three cases of the South Korean women's nationalist movement since the 1980s—minjung feminism, the comfort-women issue, and the abolishment of the family-head system. In this regard, the South Korean women's movement might be properly called feminist nationalism.