Abstract Faith groups played an important role in initiating and sustaining the movement against Japanese military sexual slavery in Korea. However, individual activists’ experiences related to the connection between their faith and activism have not been extensively discussed, particularly in a transnational context. Given the transnational nature of the issue and the movement, this article explores the role of faith in meaning-making practices through activism, drawing on public narratives of survivor-activists from Korea and Australia and interviews with Korean migrant activists. It identifies the influences of faith on the perceptions and experiences of gender-based violence and related activism, as understood by those engaged in “comfort women” activism. Despite the different focuses and practice contexts of each faith, research participants link their understanding of and response to gender-based violence with religious and spiritual teaching, particularly with human dignity as a common thread. While faith—particularly Christian faith—is widely suggested to be aligned with values such as human rights and social justice, this research also identifies tensions between religious and activist identities, as well as between spiritual teachings and approaches to social change. The potential misalignment in faith and activism, along with the influence of transnational contexts in migrant activism, warrants further investigation.
Jae‐Eun Noh (Wed,) studied this question.