Research on citizenship of the foreign resident in Gimhae city by ethnography

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that foreign residents living in a neighborhood with a high concentration of foreigners perceive themselves as local residents from the perspective of citizenship. Six participants were selected by snowball sampling. The research method was ethnography in order to analyze the patterns of thinking that foreign residents emphasize themselves as local residents from the perspective of citizenship. The results of the study revealed two themes related to citizenship. One is “long-lived and friendly residence”. “Long residence” corresponds to the duration of residence in a place. Being familiar with the place where you live shows that foreign residents have a sense of belonging to the place where they have settled. The other is “the silent shout of Gimhae citizens”. While mainstream society excludes foreign residents and spreads negative perceptions about them, foreign residents have provided various evidence that they are Gimhae citizens. However, mainstream society has not yet accepted them as residents. In response, the researchers suggested that the residency policy for foreigners, which is already in place, needs to be considered along with citizenship. They also suggested organizing foreign residents in areas where foreigners are concentrated as a social work practice.