Publisher description: The volume provides the first detailed and authoritative overview of Korean cinema history, and in so doing develops new historical and critical understandings of Korean cinema from the period of Japanese colonial rule to the present day, with two very different cinematic traditions in this divided peninsula. The contributed chapters approach the subject … [Read More]
Booklist: Arts and Culture
The Wailing [forthcoming]
Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing (2016) has been acclaimed as one of the very best horror films of recent years. In The Wailing, a mysterious illness turns its rural victims into comatose perpetrators of familicide. In the fog of an unknown spiritual war, police officer Jong-goo is helpless as his community fragments and suspicions turn to a mysterious Japanese … [Read More]
Indeterminate Inflorescence [forthcoming]
Joining the lineup for 2023, we are thrilled to announce our first project with translator Anton Hur. INDETERMINATE INFLORESCENCE is a collection of aphorisms on poetry-writing by the South Korean poet Lee Seong-bok, assembled by his students from his lectures. The aphorisms are small poems in their own right, and their cumulative force is to … [Read More]
Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS [forthcoming]
(From Wikipedia) Beyond the Story: 10 Year Record of BTS is a forthcoming biography about South Korean pop group BTS. The book is written by Kang Myeong-seok and BTS, and translated into English by Anton Hur in collaboration with Clare Richards and Slin Jung. It will be released on July 9, 2023 No synopsis yet … [Read More]
Introducing Korean Popular Culture [forthcoming]
This new textbook is a timely and interdisciplinary resource for students looking for an introduction to Korean popular culture, exploring the multifaceted meaning of Korean popular culture at micro and macro levels and the process of cultural production, representation, circulation and consumption in a global context. Drawing on perspectives from the humanities and social sciences, … [Read More]
Literature and Cultural Identity during the Korean War: Comparing North and South Korean Writing [forthcoming]
Through an in-depth analysis of wartime essays and literary works, Literature and Cultural Identity during the Korean War considers the similarities and differences in the way that writers from both North and South Korea perceived and experienced the conflict. In this book, Jerôme de Wit examines the social impact of major themes in the output … [Read More]
Dress History of Korea: Critical Perspectives on the Primary Sources
Bringing together a wealth of primary sources and with contributions from leading experts, Korean Dress History presents the most recent approaches to the interpretation of Korean dress. Through close analysis of an impressive range of visual, written, and material sources―some newly excavated or recently re-discovered in global museums―the book reveals how Korean clothing and accessories evolved from … [Read More]
ReFocus: The Films of Kim Ki-young
The first comprehensive scholarly volume on Kim Ki-young and his films in English Offers an innovative critical analysis of Kim Ki-young’s films from a range of fresh and nuanced perspectives Introduces a significant South Korean film auteur within the history of global cinema whose work has been previously overlooked Increases the understanding of modern South … [Read More]
The Cambridge Companion to K-Pop
How did Korea with a relatively small-scale music industry come to create a vibrant pop culture scene that would enthrall not only young Asian fans but also global audiences from diverse racial and generational backgrounds? From idol training to fan engagement, from studio recording to mastering choreographic sequences, what are the steps that go into … [Read More]
Understanding Korean Webtoon Culture: Transmedia Storytelling, Digital Platforms, and Genres
Webtoons are the latest manifestation of the Korean Wave of popular culture that has increasingly caught on across the globe in recent years, especially among youth. Webtoons are a form of comic that are typically published digitally in chapter form. Originally distributed via the Internet, they are now increasingly distributed through smartphones to ravenous readers … [Read More]
On BTS: Pop Music, Fandom, Sincerity
A love letter to Korean pop sensation BTS and an ode to fandom. The supersonic rise of the Korean pop group BTS may seem enigmatic to some, but for Lenika Cruz, senior culture editor at The Atlantic, their worldwide fame is obvious. As Cruz argues in On BTS: Pop Music, Fandom, Sincerity, the group’s trajectory—debuting on a … [Read More]
Bong Joon-ho: Dissident Cinema
Brilliantly illustrated and designed by the London-based film magazine Little White Lies, Bong Joon Ho: Dissident Cinema examines the career of the South Korean writer/director, who has been making critically acclaimed feature films for more than two decades. First breaking out into the international scene with festival-favorite Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Bong then set his sights on the story … [Read More]
Minor Salvage: The Korean War and Korean American Life Writings
The Korean War, often invoked in American culture as “the forgotten war,” was fought between 1950 and 1953 and ended with an infamous stalemate and the construction of the Korean Peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone. Millions of Korean civilians and refugees were left behind, some of whom would go onto live in the United States. Minor Salvage … [Read More]
Korean Film and Festivals: Global Transcultural Flows
This book examines the various film festivals where Korean cinema plays a significant role, both inside and outside of Korea, focusing on their history, structure and function, and analysis of successful festival films. Using Korean film festivals and Korean cinema at international film festivals as its primary lens, this interdisciplinary volume explores the shifting relationships … [Read More]
Make Break Remix: The Rise of K-Style
K-pop, K-fashion, K-drama, K-beauty: over the last decade, K-style has exploded onto the global scene. Where does it go from here? In Make, Break, Remix, Fiona Bae makes no attempt to define or categorize the movement, instead celebrating the eclectic, multifaceted nature of K-style and its home city of Seoul. Through interviews with tastemakers who … [Read More]
Korean Wave in World Englishes: The Linguistic Impact of Korea’s Popular Culture
This book examines the linguistic impact of the Korean Wave on World Englishes, demonstrating that the K-Wave is not only a phenomenon of popular culture, but also language. The “Korean Wave” is a neologism that was coined during the 1990s that includes K-pop, K-dramas, K-film, K-food, and K-beauty, and in recent years it has peaked … [Read More]