Managing Diasporic Returns: Contrasting Approaches to Peoplehood and Returnee Integration in Japan and Korea*

Postmodernism disrupts modern peoplehood, transforming the modern nation-state once founded on myths like liberty and equality. The postmodern diaspora transcends traditional notions of peoplehood, challenging governments like Japan and Korea. As the world also faces counter forces seeking to restore modern peoplehood (e.g., religious extremism, right-wing nationalism), Japan and Korea must balance accommodating their diasporic populations for the benefit of their market economies and liberal democracies. However, both nations, rooted in myths of ethnic homogeneity, find integration difficult.