Ethnography on the Adaptation Processes of Japanese Marriage Immigrant Women to Community in Rural Areas / 정신간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe cultural meanings for married Japanese immigrant women in rural Korean communities. METHODS: The informants were 10 women in rural areas. Data were collected from August 2017 to June 2018 through in-depth interviews and participant observations and analyzed using text analysis and taxonomic methods developed by Spradley. RESULTS: The meanings of adaptation were classified into five cultural domains Practicing the doctrine, accepting the difference, redemption, true home, and confronting reality. The subthemes according to meanings of adaptation were comprised of international marriage with a sense of calling, bearing with sense of duty, and making a living substantively. The subthemes in this study reflect the process of adaptation. The cultural themes in the process of adaptation were overcoming differences and conflicts between Korea and Japan to achieve true family. CONCLUSION: The adaptation processes of married Japanese immigrant women included making their living reality known and recognizing the times when exchanges between Koreans and Japanese cannot exist within a hostile composition.