근대 국가와 시티즌십:오키나와인의 사례

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explain national identity of Okinawans in relation to their experiences in modern citizenship as a legal status. Okinawans experienced citizenship and became modern citizens after Okinawa was annexed by Japan in 1879. Modern education systems and schools, mass media such as newspapers and radios, standard Japanese as printed language, and modern equal rights for commoners such as civil rights, political rights, and social rights transformed Ryukyuan peasants to Japanese nationals. In this sense, modern citizenship was the linchpin of Japanese national building. That process was so successful that Ryukyuans unlike Koreans never resisted Japanese assimilation. I suggest that the differences between Ryukyuans and Koreans resulted from their different experiences in modern citizenship. While Koreans tasted a little portion of modern citizenship and read Korean newspapers before Japanese annexation, Ryukyuans never did. This is the major reason why Ryukyuans did not struggle against Japanese rule but Koreans strongly resisted Japanese rule. Thus, I argue that citizenship system is a very powerful tool to form national identity. Once national identity was formed, the nation, I also argue, would strongly resist assimilation by other nations. For example, Ryukyuans who seemed to be easily assimilated to Japanese were engaged in strong resistance movements under the US military rule. The historical review of Ryukyuan national identity in relation to the citizenship helps us solve some problems that we meet when we find a way to build transnational community in East Asia. Firstly, transnational community building is not easy but possible. It is because citizenship was and will be a powerful tool to change identity. Secondly, citizenship systems that are fairer, broader, safer and more tolerant to cultural diversity than national citizenship systems are prerequisite for a transnational community. In this context, I suggest that renovating national citizenship should be the best way to transnational community building.