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The AKS Project


1. New Critical Korean Studies: Theory, Method, and Practice

Cluster members: Hyun Ok Park, Michelle Cho, Hae Yeon Choo

For the last two decades, Korean studies programs in North America and Europe have concentrated on creating a space in universities for the study of Korean history and culture. In contrast, this cluster envisions making Korea research aplace to explore theoretical and methodological challenges in the humanities and social sciences, and a bridge for crossing the conceptual boundaries between Asia and other regions.

Specifically, we engage with three topics to explore this new direction in Korean studies:
1) democratic politics, 2) popular culture, and 3) everyday life. We inquire into a new democratic possibility after mass politics (revolution, workers’ strikes) and identity politics, and ask about the viability of critiquing everyday domination and envisaging this critique as a basis for rethinking forms of democratic politics. We will explore the following questions. What is a viable form of democratic politics in the present? With distrust and repudiation of large-scale, mass-based politics of the modern era now prevalent, would a critique of everyday life be capable of creating a viable social change?

Many accounts of new capitalism and its culture abound. Industrial capitalism demanded the separation of public and private, engendering the ideology of a split self capable of moving swiftly between the productive, rational, and Machiavellian interaction to domestic and emotional interaction. In contradistinction, contemporary neoliberal capitalism brings the logic of the market and its fantasy of hyperrationality into the realm of emotion. This cluster aims to investigate new democratic politics which have emerged through the critique of neoliberal capitalism, and examine everyday life that has become once again a redemptive space of resistance today in the neoliberal turn. From the vantage point of this neoliberal present, we plan workshops and research which makes innovative contributions to the study of democracy, culture, and everyday life in South Korea. We will develop transnational, comparative and historical accounts of these changes by bringing scholars in Korean studies together with those in other regions and various disciplines in the proposed workshops.

Cluster 1:

Hyun Ok Park is an Associate Professor of Sociology at York University. Her research focuses on global capitalism, critical theory. transnationalism and diaspora, and empire. She is the author of Two Dreams in One Bed: Empire, Social Life, and the Origins of the North Korean Revolution in Manchuria (Duke University Press, 2005), and The Capitalist Unconscious: From Korean Unification to Transnational Korea (Columbia University Press, 2015).

Michelle Cho is a Korea Foundation Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at McGill University.  She is completing a book entitled The Disenchantment of the Global: Post-millennial South Korean Cinema, which analyzes the form and function of South Korean genre cinemas in the "Sunshine Policy" decade to ask what the anachronism of cold war signifiers amidst post-cold war migrant flows and political realignments can tell us about media, history, and geopolitics. Her current research pursues the relationship between popular culture and populism in South Korea, as well as the construction of identity in South Korean media’s popular representation of diasporic subject.

Hae Yeon Choo is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Affiliated Faculty of the Asian Institute and the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto. Choo’s research centers on gender, transnational migration, and citizenship to examine global social inequality. Her first book, Decentering Citizenship: Gender, Labor, and Migrant Rights in South Korea (Stanford University Press, 2016), reveals citizenship as a language of social and personal transformation within the pursuit of dignity, security, and mobility.  She will be a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, School of Social Science, in Princeton during the AY 2018–2019, working on her new project on the politics of land ownership in South Korea.


2. Defining Korean Canadian Studies

Cluster members: Ann H. Kim, Thomas Klassen, Mihyon Jeon, Sonny Cho, Angie Y. Chung, Min-Jung Kwak, Hyunjung Shin

This cluster will define Korean-Canadian Studies and bring together those involved and interested in the Korean diaspora in Canada. Although work on the Korean diaspora and migration goes back roughly 30 years and recent scholarship on Korean migrants in Canada signals the emergence of a new generation of scholars, a cohesive identity with a well-defined collection and network under this umbrella has yet to materialize.

In Canada, research on the Korean diaspora focuses on stress, entrepreneurship, new destinations, seniors, international students and education migrants, transnational (kirogi) families, and North Korean migrants. However, Korean-Canadian Studies, as a sub-specialty in the social sciences and humanities, is not well-defined, and scholars who work in the area form loose networks with informal links to community, business, and government. Two current developments make this an opportune moment to explore the possibility of defining ourselves in a way that is open, flexible, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and synergistic: the growth in the number of scholars across multiple disciplines in Canada who might identify as working in this area and with whom we can make cross-sector linkages; and a growing body of work on the Korean diaspora in other places, namely the United States and to a lesser extent, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and the UK.

The first development led to an initiative to unite the research efforts of multi-disciplinary scholars in the area of Korean-Canadian Studies without explicitly attaching a label to this work. It resulted in the publication of the edited volume, Korean Immigrants in Canada: Perspectives in Migration, Integration and the Family (eds. Samuel Noh, Ann H. Kim, and Marianne S. Noh, the University of Toronto Press in 2012), and several articles on transnational migrants. The second major impetus for establishing Korean-Canadian Studies is the potential for international collaboration and comparative thought with the three resources: the unique Research Center for Korean Community; the Korean American Data Bank at Queen’s College and the Brill Companion to Korean American Studies to be published in mid-2018. The cluster’s primary objective is to bridge together traditionally distinct and separate spheres: the academic, community, business, and government. Our goals are to define Korean-Canadian Studies, strengthen local networks, and promote internationally the Korean diaspora in Canada. We will achieve these objectives through research and educational activities that encourage connections among the different spheres.

Cluster 2:

Ann H. Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at York University. Her research interests include three main areas: migration studies, race and ethnicity, and urban sociology. She is the co-editor of Korean Immigrants in Canada: Perspectives on Migration, Integration and the Family (2012), and Outward and Upward Mobilities: International Students in Canada, Their Families, and Structuring Institutions (2019), both from the University of Toronto Press.

Thomas Klassen: is a Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University. He has been a Visiting Professor in many institutions in Korea, including Yonsei University. His publications include the edited volumes, Retirement in Japan and South Korea: The past, the present and the future of mandatory retirement (2015); Korea's retirement predicament: The ageing tiger(2014); and Retirement, work and pensions in ageing Korea (2010).

Mihyon Jeon is an Associate Professor of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, York University. She investigates language ideologies and maintenance issues among Korean immigrants as well as the transnational experiences of native-speaking English teachers. Her articles appeared in many journals, including Journal of SociolinguisticsModern Language JournalJournal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Heritage Language Journal.

Sonny Cho is President and CEO of the Canada Korea Business Council. He is responsible for developing, promoting and operating the Canada Korea Business Council (CKBC). The CKBC is Canada’s business, export trade, and investment attraction facilitator, catalyst and advocate on Korea. He serves on several volunteer organizations as the Director of the Board of Directors of Ontario Place Corporation, the Business Advisor of KIGA Labs, Chairman of the Korean Canadian Business Association of North Toronto and the Lead Advisor of the Korean Community Nursing Home Acquisition-Development Committee.

Angie Y. Chung is Professor in the Department of Sociology, the State University of New York at Albany. She is author of Saving Face: The Emotional Costs of the Asian Immigrant Family Myth (Rutgers University Press, 2016) and Legacies of Struggle: Conflict and Cooperation in Korean American Politics (Stanford University Press, 2007). She is currently working on a National Science Foundation-funded project on immigrant redevelopment politics in Koreatown and Monterey Park and a preliminary study on East Asian international students. She has also published on the topics of ethnic politics, interethnic coalitions, immigrant families, ethnic enclaves and second generation.

Min-Jung Kwak is Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax. She is an economic and social geographer with broad research interests in immigration and settlement studies. Focusing on Korean-Canadian experiences in major Canadian cities, she has conducted research in international education industry, immigrant entrepreneurship, and transnational migrant family experiences. More recently, her research focuses on accessibility and transnational dimension of immigrant healthcare services.

Hyunjung Shin is Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. She received her Ph.D. in Second Language Education from the University of Toronto. She is currently a visiting scholar at the Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies, Department of Anthropology at Seoul National University. Her research interests include globalization, transnationalism, and language education focusing on Korean diaspora in Canada, and identity and English language education for Korean/Korean-Canadian students and families in Canada.


3. Transcultural Pedagogy in Culture and Language

Cluster members: Mihyon Jeon, Ahrong Lee, Yujeong Choi, Kyoungrok Ko, Adrienne Lo, Daehee Kim

The population of students in Korean studies classes in North America has undergone a major shift over the past few decades. While heritage language learners used to comprise the majority of students, the advent of the Korean Wave has brought new kinds of students into our classrooms. Taking this new population of Korean studies students as our primary focus, experts in the spread of Korean media, Korean language and culture education, and transnational South Korea will develop research and pedagogical materials.

The proposed projects are unique in their emphasis on both research and pedagogy. The cluster will contribute to the expansion of Korean studies in the English-speaking world by developing a strong program of research to investigate the role that these learners lay in the spread of Korean culture across the globe and by developing pedagogical materials to engage such students in Korean language and culture classes. The research program will focus on 1) examining the impact of globalization on the linguistic, social and cultural spread of Korean language and culture; 2) investigating the ways that access to Korean popular culture is facilitated by the labour of bilingual, multicultural brokers and by technology; and 3) analyzing the global media flows that help to spread Korean culture across the globe.

The proposed project will develop innovative e-Textbooks and other teaching materials for meeting the needs of Canadian learners who are interested in Korean culture and language by incorporating Canadian context and culture. The cluster includes educators who have decades of experience teaching such students. The collaboratively produced e-Textbooks and teaching materials will enable educators to customize and to update on the basis of feedback from users. Through the collaborative sharing of lesson plans, materials, and exercises, the e-Textbooks and teaching materials will position Korean studies as a leader in the field of culture education and language pedagogy, which will prepare students to further their education in Korean studies with the socio-cultural sensibility in Canada. The cluster will also pioneer the development of online and blended courses in Korean studies. This aspect of the research will build upon the expertise of Professors Jeon and Lee from York University, who developed the first fully online Korean language course with funding from the Ontario Online Initiative Grant. With the assistance of the AKS grant, the cluster will assist other universities, high schools, and community run language schools in running their own blended learning programs in these areas, which will form an important component of community outreach of this project.

Cluster 3:

Mihyon Jeon is an Associate Professor of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, York University. She investigates language ideologies and maintenance issues among Korean immigrants as well as the transnational experiences of native-speaking English teachers. Her articles appeared in many journals, including Journal of SociolinguisticsModern Language JournalJournal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Heritage Language Journal.

Ahrong Lee is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. She received her Ph.D. in English (2009), concentrating in Linguistics, from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her research interests include Korean linguistics, second-language acquisition, foreign-language pedagogy, curriculum development, and the integration of technology in foreign-language education.

Yujeong Choi is Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Toronto.  In 2012 she received her PhD degree in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research interests include applied linguistics, Korean pedagogy, and Korean linguistics. She currently teaches Korean language courses. Her research interest is literacy education.

Kyoungrok Ko is Associate Professor in the University of Toronto. He is currently coordinating the Korean language program and teaching Korean language courses in the Department of East Asian Studies. He is a former board member of the American Association of Teachers of Korean and a recipient of the 2016 University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Science Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Award. His scholarly interests include: Korean pedagogy, foreign/second language writing pedagogy, integration of technology in language education.

Adrienne Lo is a linguistic anthropologist. She is an associate professor at Waterloo University and the co-editor of Beyond Yellow English: Toward a Linguistic Anthropology of Asian Pacific America (Oxford, 2009) and South Korea’s Education Exodus: The Life and Times of Study Abroad. (Center for Korean Studies, University of Washington, 2014). She is working on a collaborative research project (funded by the Spencer Foundation) investigating the internationalization of the undergraduate student body at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her current research examines ideologies of multilingualism in the South Korean popular media and the history of the racialization of Asian American linguistic competencies.


4. North Korea: Translation and Literary, Cultural and Political Transformation in a Global Context

Cluster members: Theresa Hyung, Thomas Klassen, Daniel Pieper

Since the end of the Korean War translators in the ROK have worked on foreign literary works based on both those which had been introduced during the Japanese colonial period as well as a variety of new sources. The functions of translation in North Korea can be understood against the centuries of cultural traditions as well as the nation's colonial background. North Korean literature and culture have not yet been widely studied by international scholars. This cluster will one of the first to consider North Korean translational activities in the context of Korean literary and cultural traditions.

The focus will be on both the work of translators themselves and the functions of translation in general in order to examine six crucial aspects: The role of North Korean translators in the formation of the socialist society, The relationship between translated and original Korean works, The institutional environment of translators, The comparison of the roles of translation in the two Koreas, The importation of foreign cultural ideas and practices, and the comparison of translational practices in North Korea and China, Vietnam and other socialist countries.

The project has three focuses. One is the study of translation and North Korean children's literature and film with a focus on the periodical "Adong Munhak" (Children's Literature) North Korean government regulations on education, and South Korea studies of North Korean children's literature. The second is the study of gender and translation in North Korea drawing on the history of the New Women (Shin Yosong) movement in the 1920s and 30s, and North Korean publications such as "Choson Yosong" (Choson Women). This cluster project will develop collaborations with scholars of other countries such as Russia, China and Japan. The third focus will investigate translation and interpretation and propaganda / security in North Korea. Key questions include: To what extent is English used as a lingua franca through which Russian, Chinese, Korean and other texts are funneled? Are there attempts to cross check the reliability of texts in agreements in the languages of the parties? Have there been any studies of the agency of translators, not just as transmitters of messages from one language to another, but as essential players in the process?"

Cluster 4:

Theresa Hyun was a Full Professor of the Department of Humanities at York University, where she teaches Korean culture and literature. Her representative book-length publications include: Writing Women in Korea (University of Hawaii, 2004), A Cup of Tea at P’anmunjum (original Korean-English poetry) (2012) and Riding the Peace Express (original Korean-English poetry (2016), both from Siwa Sihak. Her current research focuses on literary translation in North Korea.

Thomas Klassen is a Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University. He has been a Visiting Professor in many institutions in Korea, including Yonsei University. His publications include the edited volumes, Retirement in Japan and South Korea: The past, the present and the future of mandatory retirement (2015); Korea's retirement predicament: The ageing tiger(2014); and Retirement, work and pensions in ageing Korea (2010).

Daniel Pieper received his PhD in Asian Studies in 2017 from the University of British Columbia, and an MA in East Asian studies from Washington University. His PhD examined the emergence of language education as a discrete element in the modern school, the textual differentiation process of cosmopolitan Hanmun and vernacular Korean, and the role of language ideology in directing language standardization and informing the larger paradigm of linguistic modernity in pre-colonial and colonial-era Korea.


5. Resistant and Transformative Politics in Korea: Labor, Social Reproduction and Visual Art

Cluster members: Hong Kal, Laam Hae, Yoonkyung Lee

The recent candlelight protests and mass mobilizations in South Korea were the most decisive factor in the impeachment of former president Park Geun-hye and the indictment of her cronies. At one protest in early 2017 it was estimated that more than one million protesters showed up in downtown Seoul to march and demand the impeachment of the president and the restoration of true democracy in the country. This recent political mobilization is just one example of a several decades-long tradition of resilient resistant politics in Korea.

The persistent and militant labour mobilization among Korean workers from the 1980s has been the subject of discussions and debates in academia and within activist circles. The emergence of new forms of resistant politics has triggered the revision of the existing paradigms about Korea and stimulated efforts for a new theorization of the Korean society. As an integral part of social movements in Korea, visual contemporary art has undergone, over the last decade in Korea, an important transformation towards more participatory, dialogical, and collective practices for artists, rather than a mere representation of objects. In particular, socially engaged artists and cultural activists have collaborated with people in order to capture social problems and raise critical questions on the effects of visual art on social activism.

This cluster aims to advance knowledge of history and current processes of social movements in South Korea. Members of this cluster will investigate the resistant and protest politics that has emerged in contemporary Korea in the fields of labor, social policies, feminism, and visual art, and will reflect upon the transformative potentials of these politics. The research themes include contentious activism by workers against neoliberal market conditions, urban social movements with a focus on housing, community and gender equality, and new forms of political participation, social activism, and commemorative practices in visual art and culture.

Cluster 5:

Hong Kal is an Associate Professor of Visual Art and Art History at the School of the Arts, Media, Performance, and Design at York University. She teaches art and visual culture of East Asia. She is the author of Aesthetic Constructions of Korean Nationalism: Spectacle, Politics and History (Routledge, 2011). Her current research focuses on trauma art, socially engaged art, and artistic intervention in gentrification in Korea.

Laam Hae is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at York University. She studies and teaches subjects regarding urban political economy and social movements with the framework of socialist feminism and critical-race theory. Hae has written about popular struggles over gentrification, city marketing, zoning regulations, the militarization of urban space and “the right to the city,” both in North America and East Asia (specializing particularly in South Korea).

Yoonkyung Lee is Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Toronto. She is a political sociologist specializing in labour politics, social movements, political representation, and the political economy of neoliberalism with a regional focus on East Asia. She is also the Korea Foundation Endowed Chair of Korean Studies (2016-2021). She is the author of Militants or Partisans: Labor Unions and Democratic Politics in Korea and Taiwan (Stanford University Press, 2011) and numerous journal articles that have appeared in Globalizations, Studies in Comparative International Development, Asian Survey, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Critical Asian Studies, Global Asia, and Korea Observer.