Table of Contents

1. The Changing Face of LA
2. A Little Seoul Sprang Up: Place Entrepreneurs and the Koreatown Concept
3. Searching for Koreatown: Generational Divides and Cultural Bridges in Korean America
4. A Small World: Korean Americans and Global Los Angeles
5. "Most of These Areas Were Formerly Black": Interracial Conflict in South Central and the Burning of Koreatown
6. A Good Comeback

About the Author

Shelley Sang-Hee Lee is Professor of American Studies at Brown University.

Reviews

"Koreatown, Los Angeles is an important work that brings together multiple histories—of Korean America, Los Angeles, the United States, interracial and interethnic relations, and immigration, among others—to examine Korean Los Angeles and Korean America since the 1970s. A compelling and accessibly written read."—Arissa Oh, Boston College "Meticulously researched and crisply written, Koreatown, Los Angeles is a richly layered chronicle of K-town's history: the ethnic, migrant, economic, and global politics that helped put the multiracial enclave on the map, lit the match that burned it down, and helped it rise from the ashes."—Nadia Y. Kim, Loyola Marymount University "This is a fascinating story exploring the emergence, destruction, and rebuilding of LA's Koreatown and the immigrants who shaped its development. A deep dive into the complexity of race, immigration, class, power, and the 'American Dream' in the largest Korean enclave outside of Korea."—Do Kim, The K.W. Lee Center for Leadership "Koreatown, Los Angeles is rich, detailed, and a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the largest Korean population settlement outside of Korea."—Michael Haan, Ethnic and Racial Studies "Lee raises interesting questions about the evolution of Koreatown by bringing economic restructuring and intraethnic and interracial relations into the discussion. I was particularly intrigued by how Black-Korean relations have shaped LA from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s."—Jinwon Kim, Social Forces "Koreatown, Los Angeles provides a well-written, concise, easily accessible narrative of the creation of the Korean enclave. It also provides an excellent description of how the great demographic changes that many U.S. cities experienced in the 1970s and '80s played out within the economic shifts engendered by deindustrialization, globalization, and neoliberalism that reshaped the American urban landscape during the period. This work is a valuable contribution to recent Los Angeles history, understandings of immigration and ethic enclave development, and Korean American and Asian American studies."—Elwing Suong Gonzalez, California History "Koreatown, Los Angeles is a welcoming book on the Los Angeles Korean American community, the largest diasporic Korean community outside of Korea. It is refreshing to see historical scholarship covering the Korean American community, which has been studied mostly by social scientists, in particular sociologists. This book demonstrates exemplary historical analysis and craftmanship. More importantly, perhaps it is the first monograph examining Koreatown, Los Angeles as a research object."—Kyeyoung Park, Pacific Affairs "Koreatown, Los Angeles thoroughly demonstrates how Korean Americans have become powerful place-makers in Los Angeles. Lee provides a rich historical account of the community and neighborhood that centers Korean American experiences and perspectives, while also providing important critiques about how urban policies have shaped the livelihood and sense of belonging among Asian American and immigrant communities."—Laureen D. Hom, Contemporary Sociology