On the shared experience of diaspora

In a world increasingly shaped by the displacement of people due to war, climate crises, and economic hardship, diaspora literature has the power to counter rising waves of hate and discrimination.

This was the message shared by Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, a Korean American poet and adoptee, and Cho Hae-jin, author of "I Met Loh Ki-wan," the novel that inspired the Netflix film "My Name is Loh Ki-wan." The two writers met on Sunday during a diaspora literature event hosted by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea in Seoul’s Myeongdong.

"We are seeing increasing anti-immigration sentiment among voters especially in European and US elections as waves of migrants seek refuge from war, famine and climate catastrophe," said Kwon Dobbs.

"Diaspora literature can intervene in the dehumanizing language of national borders. (It) summons us to bear witness, prevents us from looking away, compels us to look deeper, wider and within."

Cho echoed the sentiment, reflecting on the importance of diaspora literature in humanizing others.

“One of the major problems in our society is that people are trapped in their own suffering and fail to truly see others. If we recognize that we all carry elements of diaspora within us, perhaps we would see the world differently,” Cho said.

Cho’s writing, often focused on marginalized individuals, including adoptees and defectors, resonates with those seeking to find their place in a divided world.

“Whether it’s regular workers versus temporary workers, the able-bodied versus the disabled, or the elderly versus the young -- everyone, in some way, experiences a form of diaspora. While this might seem like an overly broad definition, recognizing our shared sense of displacement is fundamental to the empathy literature fosters,” said Cho.

The event brought together two literary voices whose personal experiences have shaped their work.

Kwon Dobbs said in her 2018 collection, “Interrogation Room” she wanted to explore adoption within the broader context of Korea’s modern history of colonization, division and nationalism.

Adopted into a working-class family in a small city in Oklahoma, Kwon Dobbs talked about how literature provided solace during her childhood. She recalled the challenges of being the first in her family to attend college, paying her way through jobs and scholarships, while navigating the intersections of race, class and cultural alienation.

“Perhaps this experience of white supremacy, cultural alienation and hard work made me a keen observer of inequity -- how racism, sexism and class enshrine inequality as the so-called natural order of things," she said.

Cho, whose novel “I Met Loh Ki-wan” centers on a North Korean defector’s journey, shared the inspiration behind her book.

At the time of Cho's writing in 2009, the term "refugee" was relatively unfamiliar in Korea. After coming across a news article about a North Korean defector seeking asylum in Europe, she attempted to interview the defector in Belgium, only to discover that the person had disappeared after being granted refugee status.

"I was deeply curious -- why would someone vanish after such a hard-fought battle for asylum? I imagined that love was the reason for his disappearance.”

The conversation between Kwon Dobbs and Cho underscored the crucial role diaspora literature plays in helping individuals navigate complex questions of identity, sense of belonging and empathy.

“Although the specifics of what I write may not speak directly with every reader, the fundamental questions I’m asking -- about gender, politics, estrangement, exile and the role of a nation are important to heal past wrongs and to make reparations,” Kwon Dobbs said.