Threats to Nation and Nativist Support for Democracy

• In Event: Nationalist Politics in Asia

Abstract

Migration often triggers images of ethnic conflict, but in fact, the majority of global migration occurs in a co-ethnic context. How does the emergence of co-ethnic but national “others” redraw in-group versus out-group lines for the nativist population? What are the consequences of such national boundary-shifting in terms of nativist support for the state? I examine these questions in the context of South Korea, where demographic and geopolitical shifts have triggered a dramatic influx of co-ethnic newcomers. Using a survey experiment on a representative sample of South Korean citizens, I show how exposure to differing newcomer narratives affects both the intensity and axis of native national identification, and link such shifts to support for the government’s vision of a “multicultural” democracy.

Author

• Aram Hur, University of Missouri