Immigrant Replenishment and Activist Habitus in Migration: Understanding Tokyo Protests Against South Korea’s Martial Law

• In Event: 30603 - Global and Comparative Approaches to Activism

Abstract

Since the ill-fated martial law by the South Korean president on December 3rd, 2024, concerned individuals both inside and outside the country have organized and participated in a series of protests. In Tokyo, more than six impeachment protests have taken place at Shin-Okubo Station, Ueno Park, and Shinjuku Station as of February 27, 2025. While immigrant mobilization and participation in homeland politics are not new phenomena and have long been the focus of scholarly attention, the case of Japan warrants further examination due to its unique barriers to mobilization and participation: persistent anti-Korean discourse and sentiment and the social stigma surrounding public protests in Japan. Building on discussions of the mobilities paradigm (Sheller 2014) and radical habitus (Crossley 2003), this study examines how the protests were possible and how participants make sense of their participation. Drawing on in-depth interviews with protest participants and participant observation, the study extends the literature on diaspora activism and transnational politics by introducing the concept of activist habitus in migration and exploring how this concept helps capture the dynamics of immigrant replenishment as well as migrants’ multi-faceted senses of belonging. Our study further contributes to discussions of migrant mobility, which have primarily focused on the movement of labor and human capital.

Authors

• Ilju Kim, Sophia University

• Dodom Kim, Sophia University