Over the past decade, Korean popular culture has become a global phenomenon. The "Korean Wave" of music, film, television, sports, and cuisine generates significant revenues and cultural pride in South Korea. The Korean Popular Culture Reader provides a timely and essential foundation for the study of "K-pop," relating the contemporary cultural landscape to its historical roots. The essays in this collection reveal the intimate connections of Korean popular culture, or hallyu, to the peninsula's colonial and postcolonial histories, to the nationalist projects of the military dictatorship, and to the neoliberalism of twenty-first-century South Korea. Combining translations of seminal essays by Korean scholars on topics ranging from sports to colonial-era serial fiction with new work by scholars based in fields including literary studies, film and media studies, ethnomusicology, and art history, this collection expertly navigates the social and political dynamics that have shaped Korean cultural production over the past century.

Contributors. Jung-hwan Cheon, Michelle Cho, Youngmin Choe, Steven Chung, Katarzyna J. Cwiertka, Stephen Epstein, Olga Fedorenko, Kelly Y. Jeong, Rachael Miyung Joo, Inkyu Kang, Kyu Hyun Kim, Kyung Hyun Kim, Pil Ho Kim, Boduerae Kwon, Regina Yung Lee, Sohl Lee, Jessica Likens, Roald Maliangkay, Youngju Ryu, Hyunjoon Shin, Min-Jung Son, James Turnbull, Travis Workman


This collection provides a timely and essential foundation for studying Korean popular culture ("K-pop") by looking at its global popularity, relation to the contemporary cultural landscape, and historical roots.

About the Author

Kyung Hyun Kim is Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Director of the Critical Theory Emphasis at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author of Virtual Hallyu: Korean Cinema of the Global Era and The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema, both also published by Duke University Press.

Youngmin Choe is Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Southern California.

Reviews
"A must-read for scholars, students, and fans alike, this path-breaking volume explores the vitality and diversity of Korean popular culture. Through an international collection of experts, we discover the importance of both local contexts of production and the global reach of Korean film, TV, dance, music, and more. It's a stunning work that will stand as the cornerstone of an emerging field."-Ian Condry, author of The Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan's Media Success Story
"This volume is a pleasurable and intellectually stimulating excursion across the many genres of Korean popular culture. Bringing essays originally written in English together with well-chosen and beautifully translated Korean-language essays, The Korean Popular Culture Reader is a vibrant contribution to the field. This who's who of Korean cultural studies will certainly enjoy a wide readership."-Nancy Abelmann, author of The Intimate University: Korean American Students and the Problems of Segregation
"Lively and informative. . . . One of the most comprehensive looks at hallyu, phenomena past and present." -- Bill Drucker * Korean Quarterly *
"There is plenty of interesting material for those interested in Korea. . . . The book doesn't lack for intriguing topics, which also include challenges facing the country's drive to market Korean food abroad, media portrayals of female Korean athletes and the country's unique gaming culture. . . . Korea's standing on the international stage and the challenges of explaining sudden cultural phenomena such as the 'Gangnam Style' craze seem to necessitate the need for better contextualization of hallyu. The Korean Popular Culture Reader is welcome in this respect."
-- Kim Young-jin * Korea Times *
"It is exciting to observe the emergence of an academic field in relation to a new historical situation. The move to establish a field of Korean popular culture studies resembles the formation of British cultural studies in the 1960s through research on the politics of postwar mass culture. This past year sadly witnessed the passing of Stuart hall, but the publication of The Korean Popular Culture Reader is a substantial tribute to hall's far-reaching legacy." -- John R. Eperjesi * Amerasia Journal *
"Telling as much about Korea, its society and history, as about popular culture, The Korean Popular Culture Reader should satisfy the intellectual thirst of scholars and students in Korean studies, cultural studies, and Asian studies." -- Youjeong Oh * Journal of Asian Studies *
"[T]his volume nurtures the readers with a generous abundance of information on Korean popular culture. It is well designed and thoughtfully presented and makes a convincing contribution to a growing body of literature on Korean studies, media studies, and anthropology. It is a must-read book for those who desire a common introduction to the diverse local cultural landscape and those interested in popular culture in tandem with Korean society and culture." -- Dal Yong Jin * Pacific Affairs *
"The Korean Popular Culture Reader is a rich interdisciplinary cultural studies text. . . . The breadth of the volume is refreshing. . . . [It] fills a void in Korean cultural studies in English, and should reach a wide audience. I am hopeful that it will be read not only by Korean Studies scholars and used in Korean Studies classes, but that its general high quality and thoughtful presentation will allow it to reach those working on other areas of East Asia, and to be used in broader East Asian Studies university courses." -- Bonnie Tilland * Acta Koreana *



Book Information
ISBN 9780822355014
Author Kyung Hyun Kim
Format Paperback
Page Count 464
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
Weight(grams) 658g