| This dissertation studies the numerous appearances of Korean immigrant shopkeepers in the United States and Canada. The Asian shopkeeper character has become a stereotype in North American literary texts, including novels and popular media; however, despite the prevalence of Asian shopkeeper characters in North American texts, the shopkeeper is rarely discussed as a character trope in the discourse of multiethnic American literature. Therefore, this dissertation explicates the Korean shopkeepers in American and Canadian literature and explores how the Korean shopkeeper narrative reveals the complex issues about race politics and immigration identity. Using critical race theory, including hybridity, mimicry, double-consciousness, and code-switching, this research will investigate Korean shopkeeper narratives’ portrayal of the modern American and Canadian race politics and immigration identity. Finally, this dissertation will also propose a pedagogical approach to teaching Korean American shopkeeper literature, multiethnic American literature, and critical race theory in the college classroom. |