Contending with YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research) Power Dynamics in Korean Cultural Contexts: Reflections on the Sunbae-Hoobae Relationship (Poster 4)

• In Event: Critical Participatory Inquiry in Transnational Research Contexts

Abstract

This presentation explores power dynamics shaped by unique Korean cultural contexts of sunbae-hoobae relationship in a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project in Korea. Sunbae and hoobae are distinctive social roles in Korean society that refer to the status of being older and younger, respectively. This paper sheds light on how the two co-researchers’ positionality as sunbae-hoobae, an alum and a student of a South Korean high school, shaped interpersonal power dynamics in conducting a YPAR project. We then reflect on the process of contending with and writing about these power dynamics. This study situates discussions of power and positionality within South Korean culture, which places high importance on age-based social status, evidenced in social interactions and language uses that include an honorific form of speech for elders (Levent & Pehlivan, 2017). The hierarchical interpersonal dynamics embedded in sunbae-hoobae relationships may reinforce power dynamics but can also foster culturally embedded forms of intergenerational care and mentorship. YPAR engages youth as collaborators in the research process, rather than viewing them solely as subjects of research (Cammarota & Fine, 2008). In centering the marginalized voices of youth throughout the research, YPAR reconstructs youth as holders of knowledge and speaks back to dominant discourses that infantilize youth (Ginwright & James, 2002). Yet, the collaboration between youth and adult researchers in YPAR raises important questions about power dynamics, intersecting identities, and authority (Bertrand et al., 2020; Brion-Meisels & Alter, 2018; Call-Cummings, Ní Sheanáin & Buttimer, 2020).

This paper centers on our auto-ethnographic inquiry based on our reflections on co-conducting a YPAR project in 2021. The YPAR project examined Korean youth’s perspectives on exacerbating educational inequalities during COVID-19, a topic we chose based on the youth researcher’s experiences with widening educational gaps during COVID-19. Data for this paper draw from not the YPAR project itself, but rather from our auto-ethnographic reflections on recognizing, addressing, and writing about power dynamics that emerged between us as co-researchers in the YPAR process. During the research process, we faced institutional perceptions that the sunbae, being an older adult researcher, would be the principal investigator. Furthermore, the sunbae-hoobae relationship shaped internal research processes, with the sunbae often taking the lead in explaining the research during interviews. We attempted to subvert power imbalances by making conscious choices with discursive language use, committing to collective decision-making processes, and engaging in collaborative knowledge-making practices. As we penned our reflections, power dynamics also surfaced regarding whose voice was centered in writing and publishing. This paper broadens the conversation on positionality and power in YPAR by adding a case study of a YPAR project conducted in Korea, where underlying sociocultural contexts present unique tensions with power dynamics. Given that tensions in YPAR projects are contextual, it is vital to contend with various power differences that arise in transnational and global settings.

Authors

• Woohee Kim, Harvard University

• Jeung Eum Woo