An Armful of Groceries: An ethnography on H Mart, traditional medicine, and the power of food in Korean communities

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the cultural and medicinal role of H Mart, a Korean supermarket chain, in Korean communities based on ethnographic fieldwork which includes participant-observations at seven different H Marts across the eastern coast of the United States as well as in-depth interviews and auto-ethnographic experiences. The influences of H Mart on Korean traditional medicine, immigrant health and wellbeing, and Korean American culture is also examined and discussed. Integrated with ethnographic evidence, a review of the debates surrounding native anthropology and fieldwork methodology is also included. This research has been approved by the Princeton University Institutional Review Board.