Diasporic and Peripheral Vulnerabilities in Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko

The aim of this paper is to discuss the representations of Zainichi (the Kore­an diaspora in Japan) and other peripheral identities in Min Jin Lee’s novel Pachinko (2017). The paper will focus on the intersection between diaspo­ra, as well as other marginal categories, and vulnerability. Regarded here as contiguous to the field of diaspora, the paradigm of vulnerability will be explored according to its multiple facets, while suggesting that layered vulnerabilities fabricate the psyche of the characters in the novel. Apart from the (trans)generational trauma and the vulnerability that the Zainichi family faces in the novel, it is important to verify whether or how the writ­er opens up space for resistance, forms of empowerment or solidarity. In other words, the following question will be posed: is there something more than vulnerability and trauma that defines marginal identities? Lastly, in distinguishing between diasporic and peripheral identities, a few main and secondary characters will be discussed in parallel in order to explore the dynamic interplay between periphery and centre.

This contribution is a translation of an article originally published in the journal Asian Studies (Volume XIII, Supplement, 2025).