South Korea’s gendered nationhood: a case study of heavyweight weightlifter Jang Mi-ran

Abstract

This study examines the androcentric nature of South Korea’s nationhood. South Korea’s former heavyweight weightlifter Jang Mi-ran and her sporting career exhibit the difficulties and possibilities with which South Korean women are faced. On the one hand she displays the stronghold of conservative gender order, and on the other hand she has rewritten a script for women and positioned them differently in the national imaginary. As an emphatic gender symbol, Jang has compelled many participants in the present study to rethink what it means to be a woman in South Korea today, which could lead to changes in the character of the nation. A number of group interviews took place during the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, featuring ethnically Korean female participants exclusively – 42 in total. Twenty-two women in six groups were interviewed during the Beijing Olympics and 20 in four groups during the London event. Their ages varied from 19 to 39, most of them had an undergraduate or postgraduate degree and they were all professionals.

Keywords:

• South Korea
• gender
• nation
• weightlifting
• Confucianism