I remember, you remember, and we remember: Performance autoethnography of the politics of friendship

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explores a politics of friendship between two migrants: M, a Burmese migrant worker, refugee, and media activist living in Korea, and myself, a Korean scholar in the U.S. Our lives seem so different, however, listening to his stories and layering my reactions become our memories of friendship. Using narrative performance and performance autoethnography, I revisit my memories of being with M and see how a relation with others influences my understanding of who we are. This research affirms the way a friendship becomes a political and cultural performance that finds solidarity with one another based on our stories.