“Offering ethnographically rich insights into labor migration between China and South Korea from the early 1990s to the mid-2010s, June Hee Kwon tracks ethnic and kin affinities and tensions amid changing political and global economic conditions, providing nuanced descriptions and analysis of the distinct temporal-spatial experiences of the Korean Chinese migrants entangled in transnational flows of labor, money, and consumption. Borderland Dreams makes an important contribution to scholarship on translocal and transnational migration, political economy, ethnicity, and China and East Asia.” - Julie Y. Chu, author of Cosmologies of Credit: Transnational Mobility and the Politics of Destination in China
“Borderland Dreams tells a powerful, complex, and ethnographically driven story about capitalist modernity in China, ethnicity, borders and labor migration, remittance economies, and the temporalities of global capitalism. Drawing on highly original and important fieldwork, June Hee Kwon depicts the dreams, aspirations, and frustrations of her interlocutors through lively and engaging prose.” - Eleana J. Kim, author of Making Peace with Nature: Ecological Encounters along the Korean DMZ
"Kwon’s longue-durée analysis is ethnographically rich and analytically insightful. Borderland Dreams was a long time in the making. For readers, the wait was long, but it was certainly worth it." - Nora Hui-Jung Kim, Korea Journal
"Borderland Dreams transcends the confines of the academic monograph to present a remarkable ode to the relentless yet diverse, ever-changing but ever-present human quest for financial stability and self-realization amidst the ebb and flow of trans-national geopolitical and economic tides. Kwon’s sympathetic curation of multiple voices of Korean Chinese and her meticulous observations invite readers to contemplate the intangible and tangible forces that shape our perceptions of self and home, freedoms and enslavements, work and life, and dreams and futures." - Hyung-Gulynn, Journal of Anthropological Research
"Borderland Dreams is a beautifully written book that will attract a wide audience of scholars and students who are interested in migration, ethnicity, transnational temporality, and political economy. Its engaging ethnographic accounts and clear writing make it suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students." - Young-a Park, Korean Studies
"Kwon’s book richly weaves the multidirectional, multilayered, multivocal stories of Korean Chinese migrant workers as they move restlessly between regions, countries, and households in pursuit of dreams of a better life. . . . Borderland Dreams makes a wonderful contribution to the literature on migration and borderlands, especially since much of the existing literature often focuses on the global south with respect to North America or Europe." - Aaron Su, Francis L.K. Hsu Book Prize
“For those who do not study East Asia, the Korean diaspora or matters of ethnic identity, Borderland Dreams by June Hee Kwon makes a compelling case why scholars should. . . . Scholars of China and the Korean peninsula will find this a must-read ethnography.”
- James M. Hundley,
Social Anthropology
"Borderland Dreams remains a valuable contribution to migration, labor, and border studies. Kwon’s detailed ethnography and insightful case studies make it essential for scholars of East Asian Studies and transnationalism. Beyond academia, the book underscores enduring inequalities, stereotypes, and precarious conditions tied to global migration." - Xiaoying Jin, Asia Pacific Perspectives
"Borderland Dreams offers comprehensive and rich ethnographic data to help understand the transnational lives of the Korean Chinese while actively engaging with various theoretical frameworks." - Haeeun Shin, The Journal of Asian Studies
"Kwon's analysis deftly illustrates the dynamic and evolving identities and economic approaches of the Korean Chinese, set against the broader context of global migration patterns and shifting socioeconomic landscapes." - Golod V. Yu, Chinese Civilization
