Thinking about the Korean Wave through Fandom(s) and Feminism(s)

The meteoric ascendancy of South Korean popular culture or what’s variously referred to as Hallyu and the Korean Wave has been accompanied by critical interest that tries to understand, contextualize, and historicize this global phenomenon. Scholars who examine subjects as seemingly disparate as empire and colonialism, new media and the internet, popular culture and fandoms, feminism and beauty standards have all found the Korean Wave to be a rich site for academic inquiry. This panel brings together the academic work of SSLA students studying various aspects of South Korean popular culture that include examining the relationship between Pakistani K-pop fans and fan fiction; K-pop and parasocial relationships; K-pop band (G)I-DLE’s creative output in the context of gender and agency, and the impact of Korean beauty standards on Pakistani K-Drama fans. Therefore, this panel will think and ask questions about fandom(s) in a time of constantly shifting digital cultures, and how feminism(s) can inform the study of the Korean wave.

Student Panelists