Identity
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East Asia
The world through a different lens
Yuna has been in Korea, now, for a year and a half, teaching English at a hagwon (cram school) to young students. It’s the typical rigorous academy that prepares students for the TOEFL exam and they are visibly stressed. But that could have been her. Back home in America, her…
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Culture
[Book review] Identity in Hermann Hesse’s Novels
Demian is a semi-autobiographical story written by Hermann Hesse, published in 1919. The novel is set in Germany, in the decade preceding World War I, and tells of a troubled adolescent’s arrival at self-awareness. Emil Sinclair is his own narrator, describing his personal journey towards a genuine understanding of his…
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East Asia
Malleable Identity, Molded Identity
What makes you you? Is it your fingerprint? Maybe the passport you show to the officer before your flight. At any first meeting, people will ask one another, “What’s your name?”, “Your job?”, or “Where are you from?”. And then you will go down the list, describing yourself according…
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South Asia
Dabbawalas’ Mission: Delivery Food On Time, Every Time
Dabbawala delivery system Around 5,000 workers distribute more than 200,000 tiffins (Indian English word for the light meal during midday) every workday in Mumbai. Founded in 1890, the Dabbawala service begins with picking up lunches from families’ homes and then delivering them to people’s offices. The service is very cheap…
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East Asia
New Seoul-based zine offers platform for female artists
What has always interested me in Korea is the alternative forms of art. While the mainstream media rules the markets all around the world, it is the alternative art, music and cinema of a country which push the envelope and experiment and bring in more diversity. And in Korea, specifically in…
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