This paper analyzes the current intellectual discourse on Jeju identity and its implications on the position of Jeju women. Debates on Jeju identity may be grouped roughly into three schools. Each of these schools has quite different implications for Jeju women’s position, implicitly or explicitly argued by each school. When the influence of China and Neo-Confucianism is emphasized in defining Jeju identity, women’s position is necessarily subordinate to that of men. When the culture of Jeju is presented as a culture of “compromise” between Jeju reality and Neo-Confucianism, the women’s position is inevitably raised and strengthened, since Jeju women, especially women divers, are at the forefront of coping with the harsh nature of the island along with men. Such a society cannot survive without women or men. When Jeju identity is presented as a “women centredness”, again women’s position is raised or the main axis (or the essence) of the island society is presented as women. The author proposes to take these debates one step further by synthesizing them and substantiating some crucial gaps in them, through fieldwork planned.

• Ok-kyung Pak, Ph.D(University of Monteral, Canada)