Q method finds anti-refugee sentiments on Yemeni migration to Jeju

Abstract

Tourism and migration are conceptually linked in terms of the geographical movement of people. In 2018 a large group of Yemeni refugee migrants arrived in Jeju Island, South Korea because of an unforeseen confluence of political and economic pressures in Yemen and a combination of a visa-free policy and cheap airfare from Malaysia to Jeju. They are now semi-permanent residents on the island with no option to re-migrate. A multidimensional set of theoretical themes including social exchange and role identity among stakeholders; power and alienation; and trust and social responsibility are used to evaluate residents’ subjectivities toward Yemeni refugee migrants to Jeju. This is applied to the theoretical interpretation of the public discourse on Yemeni migration to identify residents’ attitudes using Q method. Four clusters of subjectivity are found, grouped around an anti-refugee sentiment. Interaction with and responsibility for this refugee immigrant population is largely rejected. Practical implications are that structural changes in policy or attitude changes through education are necessary to secure any form of social sustainability for the resident-refugee relationship in Jeju. The implication is that the set of theoretical themes used in this study offers a valuable path to finding empirical solutions to the refugee migration problem in tourism research.

摘要

就人类的地理流动来说, 旅游和迁移在概念上是有联系的。2018年, 大批也门避难者移民抵达韩国济州岛, 原因是也门的政治和经济压力、济州岛的免签政策和从马来西亚到济州岛的廉价机票, 这些因素出人意料地交织在一起。他们现在是岛上的半永久居民, 没有重新迁移的想法。本研究评估了当地居民对前来济州岛的也门难民移民的主观感受, 涉及社会交换和利益相关者之间的角色认同、权力和排斥以及信任和社会责任多个理论主题。本研究使用Q方法识别居民的态度, 将此应用于也门移民公共话语的理论解释中。本研究发现了一个围绕反难民情绪分组的四个主观性看法的集群。与这些难民移民人口的互动及责任在很大程度上被证实。本研究的实践启示是通过教育实现本地政策或居民态度的结构性改变, 对确保济州岛居民-难民关系的任何形式的社会可持续性都是有必要的。这意味着, 本研究所使用的理论主题为旅游研究中难民移民问题的解决经验提供了一条有价值的路径。

Keywords:

• Jeju Island
• migration
• power
• Q method
• trust between culture
• Yemen

关键词:

• 济州岛
• 迁移
• 权力;Q方法
• 文化之间的信任
• 也门

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Armigon Akhmedov

Armigon Akhmedov is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Hotel Management, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. His research interests include strategic management, corporate governance, and corporate social responsibility in the hospitality and tourism industry.

William Cannon Hunter

William Cannon Hunter is a Professor of Tourism in the College of Hotel and Tourism Management at Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. His research interests include cultural tourism, smart tourism, semiotics and Q method. He is also highly involved in indigenous and climate change issues.

Jeong-Gil Choi

Jeong-Gil Choi is a Professor at the Department of Hotel Management, College of Hotel & Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. His research interests include finance, accounting, and forecasting in the hospitality and tourism industry.