K-pop and the West: Media, Fandom, and Transnational Politics
The Asia Research Institute's second annual Korean studies symposium, October 27-28, 2023, will examine research, pedagogy, and methodologies in our critical study of K-pop in the West.
Attendance is free and open to the public.
Not able to attend in person? Register here to watch our Zoom livestream.
Symposium Agenda
Friday, October 27
Location: Screening Room, Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo North Campus
9:00-9:30 Registration and Refreshments
9:30-9:45 Opening Remarks
9:45-11:15 Panel 1: Fans and Fandom
Areum Jeong, Arizona State University
The Performing Deokhu: Mediating Selfhood and Relations of Power in Fan Videos
Jonghwan Yoon, Yonsei University
The Desire Surrounding Signifier of K-pop Oppa and Its Genealogy
Wonseok Lee, Washington University, St. Louis
K-pop’s Posthuman Expandability: A Comparative Analysis of Virtual K-pop Groups
Moderator: Stephanie Choi, UB Asia Research Institute
11:15-11:30 Break
11:30-1:00 Panel 2: Transnational Bodies
Paroma Ghose, Leibniz Center for Contemporary History
K-pop and the ‘Postcolonial Interruption’
Jaehoon Lee, Indiana University
The Techno-Woman Warrior: K-pop and the Sound of Asian Futurism
Jeong-In Lee, University of Texas at Austin
K-pop in the Borderland: Media Spectacles and the Geopolitical Soundscape
Moderator: Junhao Hong, UB Department of Communication
1:00-2:30 Lunch
2:30-3:45 Keynote Lecture 1
Dafna Zur, Stanford University
K-pop's Next Level: Documenting K-pop in the Age of AI
3:45-4:00 Break
4:00-5:30 Panel 3: Music and Visual Aesthetics
Lawrence Monocello, Washington University, St. Louis
K-pop Idols, Body Ideals, and Disordered Eating in Young Korean Men
Haley Suh, University of California, Irvine
The (In)Coherence of Gothic Conventions in K-pop Music Videos
Donna Kwon, University of Kentucky
Multivocal or Maximalist? The Politics of Vocal Production in K-pop
Moderator: Millie Chen, UB Department of Art
5:30-5:45 Closing Remarks
Saturday, October 28
9:00-9:30 Registration and Refreshments
9:30-9:45 Opening Remarks
9:45-11:15 Panel 4: Performing Gender and Race
Min Joo Lee, Occidental College
In Pursuit of Perfect Men: An Analysis of Hallyu Tourists’ Romantic Desires for Korean Men
Jahyon Park, Wesleyan University
(EXP)ectations and Cultural Boundaries
Stephanie Choi, University at Buffalo
Decolonizing the ‘Dark Side of K-pop
Moderator: Mimi Okabe, UB Asian Studies Program
11:15-11:30 Break
11:30-12:45 Keynote Lecture 2
Thomas Baudinette, Macquarie University
K-pop Fandom’s Role in Shaping Knowledge of Gender and Sexuality among LGBTQ+ Fans
12:45-2:15 Lunch
2:15-4:15 Panel 5: Nationalism and State Intervention
Mathieu Berbiguier, University of California, Los Angeles
Kukppong and Authenticity: A New Wave of ‘K-Nationalism’ in K-pop Fandom(s)
Jamie Johnson, University of West London
K-pop, Museum Funding and Soft Power
Gongju Cha, Claremont Graduate University
K-pop and the Cultural Hierarchy: Commodification as the Regenerating Force of Hegemonic Power
Jinwon Lee, Korea University
Reflecting Gender Equality through the Lens of Korean Media: From the Human Rights Perspective
Moderator: Mark Nathan, UB Department of History and Asian Studies Program
4:15-4:30 Break
4:30-5:45 Roundtable: K-pop in the Classroom
Moderators
Stephanie Choi, UB Asia Research Institute
Hyein Amber Kim, UB Department of Linguistics
5:45-6:00 Closing Remarks
Symposium Sponsors
Academy of Korean Studies, University at Buffalo Asia Research Institute, Asian Studies Program
