Congratulations to Keough School faculty member Sharon Yoon, a Kellogg faculty fellow, on the publication of her new coauthored paper, "Layered Narrative Agency and the Politics of Masculine Respectability: Ghanaian Migrant Marriages in South Korea," in the journal Men and Masculinities. The article is available via open access for a limited time.
The paper draws on two years of ethnographic fieldwork to examine how Ghanaian migrant men navigate race, gender, and respectability through marriage in South Korea. It explores how they construct moral legitimacy under conditions of racial exclusion and legal precarity, offering new insights into transnational migration, masculinity, and social reproduction in the Global South.
More broadly, the study underscores the role of local institutions and community boundaries in shaping migrants’ experiences. By highlighting how structural and cultural contexts influence immigrant integration and opportunities, Yoon and her coauthors provide a nuanced understanding of how newcomers navigate challenges and contribute to social and economic life. Their findings have significant implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners working on migration, economic development, and social inclusion.
Yoon is an associate professor of Korean studies in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on migration, ethnicity, and social networks, particularly how institutional and cultural boundaries affect immigrant integration and mobility. She has published extensively on immigrant entrepreneurship, identity formation, and transnational connections, establishing herself as a leading voice in the field.