Korean MNCs and the Racialized Boundaries of Inclusion in the UAE

• In Event: 50855 - Racial Hierarchies and Identity

Abstract

This research examines the experiences of South Korean expatriate families in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focusing on how they navigate racial hierarchies and identity within the country’s exclusionary context that enforces temporariness and limits long-term integration. Predominantly employed by multinational corporations (MNCs), South Korean expatriates face simultaneous privilege and challenges as they occupy a perceived middle ground between expatriates and laborers. This ambiguity presents conflicting everyday narratives where they face privilege due to their skilled status, but challenges given their racial identity as Asian. Drawing on 32 months of ethnographic fieldwork, this study investigates how Korean expatriate families negotiate the gendered and racialized dynamics that shape their sense of (non)belonging. By exploring how race, nationality, and class intersect to shape their simultaneous inclusion and exclusion, this research highlights the complex racial hierarchies that shape the migrant identities within the evolving nature of skilled migration.

Author

• Hee Eun Kwon, The University of Tokyo