Co-hosted by SOAS and the Northeast Asian History Foundation, this conference brings together prominent scholars on the “comfort women” issue and broader topics of wartime sexual violence, along with expert discussants from a variety of relevant fields. In an era where historical revisionism and political tensions increasingly shape narratives of the past, this event provides … [Read More]
Venue: SOAS
10 Thornhaugh Street | Russell Square | London WC1H 0XG | [Map]
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SOAS seminar: Recording memories of human rights violations in North Korea
The human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea or DPRK) is exceptionally challenging to address externally, as the population remains isolated from the international community and lacks an independent civil society to advocate for people’s rights. Despite these difficulties, the situation has been captured and documented primarily through the ‘voices’ … [Read More]
SOAS seminar: The techno-sublime of media spectacle – Screen and space in Seoul’s DDP
The contemporary city increasingly manifests as an urbanscape where digital screen and architectural space converge to create new forms of cultural experience. Seoul, with its high degree of media saturation, exemplifies a city interwoven with advanced digital technology that articulates distinct combinations of corporeal, emotional, and spatial perceptions. Within the context of the convergence of … [Read More]
SOAS seminar: Bestselling and beloved – Korean literary treasures
The SOAS Centre of Korean Studies is delighted and honoured to welcome Dr Seunghye Sun and Jaemin Cha, the two minds behind the “Bestselling and Beloved: Korean Literary Treasures” exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) UK. They will speak about this special exhibition that delves into the heart of Korean literature, showcasing both its … [Read More]
The Postdevelopmental State: Dilemmas of economic democratization in contemporary South Korea
Dr Doucette will introduce his recently published book on the politics and political economy of contemporary South Korea – a book that is even more topical in the current political crisis the country is facing. This book is a major contribution to both Korean and East Asian Political Economy across a number of different disciplines. … [Read More]
Confucianism and disaster: Floods, lightning and cosmology in Eighteenth-Century Chosŏn Korea
This presentation explores Chosŏn-period (1392-1910) Confucian responses to disaster. This was a period in which Confucianism not only was the state ideology, but also guided interaction in local communities socially and economically dominated by local elites sharing the ideas of this ideology. The Confucian convictions of this elite dictated how they, as leaders of communities, … [Read More]
SOAS-OKCHF Workshop: Collecting Korea — Explorations of Korean Collections in the UK and their continued relevance
This workshop examines the history and significance of Korean objects held in UK institutions, and their role in shaping contemporary understandings of Korean cultural heritage. Beginning in the 1880s, institutions acquired a wide variety of items from the Korean peninsula, ranging in type from ceramics, paintings, and textiles, to books and plant specimens. The workshop … [Read More]
Anti-Feminist backlash: Gender and generational conflict in South Korea
Scholarship on Korean elections and voting behavior has emphasised the shift from traditional cleavages such as ideology and region to newer ones, including generation, class, and gender. One of the most common keywords used during South Korea’s 2022 presidential election was Idaenam (male in twenties), hinting at the social group more likely to prove determinant … [Read More]
Symposium: Interrogating “K-Culture” – Religion, culture and philosophy through multicultural perspectives
KAEP (Institute of Korean Philosophy and Culture in Sungkyunkwan University), the SOAS Centre for Korean Studies and the Centre of Islamic Studies at SOAS are proud to announce a collaborative international symposium on Interrogating ‘K-Culture’: Religion, culture and philosophy through multicultural perspectives. The symposium aims to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and expertise about the … [Read More]
SOAS seminar: Crackdowns and Containment: K-culture and markets in North Korea under Covid
In this talk, Peter Ward will present fresh research undertaken as part of a recent paper to be published by the Korean Development Institute (KDI) about the contrasting approaches that the North Korean regime is taking to consumption and distribution of foreign content compared to other markets in North Korea today. Utilizing a close reading … [Read More]
SOAS seminar: An Atomic Age Unleashed
This presentation explores the common culture of Cold War scientism and atomic developmentalism in early North and South Korea. While tens of thousands of Koreans were subject to the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, early peninsular analysis of the bombings rarely grappled with the existence of these individuals. The general exclusion of colonial subjects … [Read More]
SOAS-OKCHF Workshop on Korean collections in UK institutions
Join us for this workshop hosted by the School of Arts at SOAS. Museum curators, librarians, and academics will share their expertise in managing and utilizing Korean objects in their collections in UK institutions. They will also discuss the collecting histories and practices that have formed and shaped these collections. This workshop is part of … [Read More]
Book Talk – Black Girl from Pyongyang
Join author Monica Macias as she explores extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung in conversation with Jim Hoare. In 1979, aged only seven, Monica Macias was sent from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea by her father, the … [Read More]
Cairo Declaration and Korean service in British army commemorated in SOAS conference
Hands up, anyone who had actually heard of the Cairo Declaration before this SOAS conference designed to mark its 80th anniversary? I certainly hadn’t. Winston Churchill was in Cairo with a contingent of over 100 diplomatic and administrative staff, in late November 1943, where along with Chang Kai-shek and President Roosevelt they were starting to … [Read More]
Korean Peninsula Peace Forum
Leading authorities from the academic and practitioner communities in the UK will discuss the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula and the prospects for the easing of tension and return to negotiations. Looking at the strategy of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Forum will first consider the complementarity between goals of promoting human … [Read More]
Stories of Freedom: The stories and voices of North Korean refugees
The British Korean Society and SOAS host an event in which three North Korean refugees will share their experiences in North and South Korea through different voices. In addition, the Co-founder of Freedom Speakers International will share his experiences of meeting refugees living in South Korea. This will be a talk with a video presentation … [Read More]