Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

We Both Eat Rice, But That’s About It: Korean and Latino Relations in Multi-ethnic Los Angeles

  • Chapter
Book cover Everyday Multiculturalism

  • 2332 Accesses

Abstract

On any given day, in any given restaurant in Koreatown, countless orders are taken, meals are served, tables are cleared, dishes are washed, and cheques are paid. Down the street at a corner convenience store, shelves are stocked, beverages are placed into large refrigerators, and purchases are rung up. Even to the most casual observer, it becomes obvious that Korean workers take the orders and collect the money while Latino workers replenish the shelves, clear the tables and wash the dishes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Alcoff, L. M. (2003) ‘Latinos/as, Asian Americans, and the Black-White Binary’, The Journal of Ethics, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 5–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergeson, A. (1996) ‘Were the LA Riots a Backlash Against Recent Immigrants?’, talk given at the University of California, Irvine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergeson, A. and M. Herman (1998) ‘Immigration, Race and Riot: The 1992 Los Angeles Uprising’, American Sociological Review, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 39–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bobo, L., C. L. Zubrinsky and J. H. Johnson (1995) ‘Work Orientation, Job Discrimination, and Ethnicity: A Focus Group Perspective’, Research in the Sociology of Work, vol. 5, pp. 45–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonacich, E. (1972) ‘A Theory of Ethnic Antagonism: The Split Labor Market’, American Sociological Review, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 547–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonacich, E. (1973) ‘A Theory of Middleman Minorities’, American Sociological Review, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 583–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonacich, E. (1987) ‘“Making It” in America, A Social Evaluation of the Ethics of Immigrant Entrepreneurship’, Sociological Perspectives, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 446–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonacich, E. (1993) ‘Asian and Latino Immigrants in the Los Angeles Garment Industry: An Exploration of the Relationship between Capitalism and Racial Oppression’, in I. Light and P. Bhachu (eds) Immigration and Entrepreneurship: Culture, Capital and Ethnic Networks (New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonacich, E. (1998) ‘Organizing Immigrant Workers in the Los Angeles Apparel Industry’, Journal of World-Systems Research, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 10–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, E. (1993) ‘Jewish and Korean Merchants in African American Neighborhoods: A Comparative Perspective,’ Amerasia Journal, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 5–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, L. and Y. Espiritu (1989) ‘Korean Businesses in Black and Hispanic Neighborhoods: A Study of Intergroup Relations’, Sociological Perspectives, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 521–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fine, G. A. and P. A. Turner (2001) Whispers on the Colorline (Berkeley: University of California Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes-Bautista, D. E., W. O. Schink, and M. Hayes-Bautista (1993) ‘Latinos and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots: A Behavioral Science Perspective’, Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Science, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 427–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jo, M. H. (1992) ‘Korean Merchants in the Black Community: Prejudice among the Victims of Prejudice’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 395–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, C.J. (2000) Bitter Fruit: The Politics of Black-Korean Conflict in New York City (New Haven: Yale University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, D. S. and C. C. Wong (1977) ‘Business Development in Koreatown, Los Angeles’, in im, Hyung-Chan (ed.) The Korean Diaspora (Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio), pp. 229–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, D. Y. (1999) ‘Beyond Co-ethnic Solidarity: Mexican and Ecuadorean Employment in Korean-owned Businesses in New York City’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 581–605.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamphere, L., A. Stepick and G. Grenier (1994) Newcomers in the Workplace: Immigrants and the Restructuring of the US Economy (Philadelphia: Temple University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. (2002) Civility in the City: Blacks, Jews, and Koreans in Urban America (Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. (2006) ‘Constructing Race and Civility in Urban America’, Urban Studies, vol. 43, no. 5–6, pp. 903–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Light, I., G. Sabagh, M. Bozorgmehr and C. Der-Martirosian (1994) ‘Beyond the Ethnic Enclave Economy’, Social Problems, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 65–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Light, I., H. Hadas and K. Kan (1994) ‘Black/Korean Conflict in Los Angeles’, in S. Dunn (ed.) Managing Divided Cities (Keele: Ryburn Publishing/Keele University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Min, P. G. (1984) ‘A Structural Analysis of Korean Business in the United States’, Ethnic Groups, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Min, P. G. (1990) ‘Problems of Korean Immigrant Entrepreneurs’, International Migration Review, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 436–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Min, P. G. (1996). Caught in the Middle: Korean Communities in New York and Los Angeles (Berkeley: University of California Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Min, P. G. and A. Kolodny (1999) ‘The Middleman Minority Characteristics of Korean Immigrants in the United States’, in wang Chung Kim (ed.) Koreans in the Hood: Conflict with African Americans (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ong, P., E. Bonacich and L. Cheng (1994) ‘The Political Economy of Capitalist Restructuring and the New Asian Immigration’, in P. Ong, E. Bonacich and L. Cheng (eds) The New Asian Immigration in Los Angeles and Global Restructuring (Philadelphia: Temple University Press), pp. 3–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ong, P. and S. Hee (1993) Losses in the Los Angeles Civil Unrest, April 29–May 1, 1992 (Los Angeles: UCLA Center for Pacific Rim Studies).

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, E. J. W. (2004) ‘Labor Organizing Beyond Race and Nation: The Los Angeles Hilton Case’, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 24, no. 7–8, pp. 137–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, E. J. W. and J. S. W. Park (1999) ‘A New American Dilemma?: Asian Americans and Latinos in Race Theorizing’, Journal of Asian American Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 289–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pastor, M., L. Megana, A. Cabezas and M. Appel (1993) Latinos and the Los Angeles Uprising: The Economic Context (Claremont: Thomas Rivera Center).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sassen, S. (1988) The Mobility of Labor and Capital: A Study in International Investment and Labor Flow (New York: Cambridge University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Skerry, P. (1993) Mexican Americans, the Ambivalent Minority (Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, In-Jin (1997) On My Own: Korean Businesses and Race Relations in America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, In-Jin (1998) ‘Who is My Neighbor?: Koreans’ Perception of Blacks and Latinos as Employees, Customers, and Neighbors’, Development and Society, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 49–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yong, M. C. (1992) ‘Some Thoughts on Modernization and Race Relations in the Political History of Singapore’, in ong Mun Cheong (ed.) Asian Traditions and Modernization: Perspectives from Singapore (Singapore: Time Academic Press), pp. 49–66.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Temple University, Philadelphia, USA

    Chong-suk Han (Assistant Professor of Sociology)

Authors
  1. Chong-suk Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Social Inclusion, Macquarie University, Australia

    Amanda Wise (Senior Research Fellow) (Senior Research Fellow)

  2. Department of Sociology, Macquarie University, Australia

    Selvaraj Velayutham (Lecturer in Sociology) (Lecturer in Sociology)

Copyright information

© 2009 Chong-suk Han

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Han, Cs. (2009). We Both Eat Rice, But That’s About It: Korean and Latino Relations in Multi-ethnic Los Angeles. In: Wise, A., Velayutham, S. (eds) Everyday Multiculturalism. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230244474_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation