Linking autobiographic writings by Korean women in Japan and the United States and the author's ethnographic insights, Writing Selves in Diaspora presents an original, profound, and powerful intervention_both literary and anthropological_in our understanding of life in diaspora, being female, and forming selves. Each chapter offers unique and original discussion on the intersection between gender and diaspora on one hand and the process of the self's formation on the other. Chapters are mutually engaging, yet have independent themes to explore: language and self, romantic love, exile and totalitarianism, the ethic of care, and critique of medicalization of identity. Through the introduction of women's lives and introspection and interpretation accorded to them, this book delivers an unprecedented text of candor and courage. This book will have appeal for both academic and intellectually-informed lay readers interested in gender, self, and diaspora.

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 1. Many Ways to Be Korean-and Something Else: An Inquiry into the Self Chapter 3 2. Love and Diaspora: Romantic Autobiography of a Korean Woman in Japan Chapter 4 3. A Letter from Afar: Totalitarianism, Neoliberalism, and Self-Reference Chapter 5 4. Diaspora and the Ethic of Care: A Note on Disability, Aging, and the Vulnerability of the De-nationalized Chapter 6 5. Terra Incognita: Family Maps of Diaspora