James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies
Nature, Technology, and Things: New Materialism in Korean Studies
An in-person conference hosted by the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, April 28, 2023.
This one-day interdisciplinary conference seeks to foreground the material and non-human elements of human experience on and around the Korean Peninsula. How have engagements with material worlds affected class, ethnic, gender, and racial relations in Korea? How have ways of knowing and using material things shaped Korean society? How does the circulation of natural resources, technology, artifacts, and commodities challenge established notions of boundaries, whether political, social, cultural, or epistemological? What can new materialism bring to interpretations of Korea’s past and present? We invite contributions that consider the more-than-human dimensions of Korea from fields including but not limited to anthropology, art history, literature, history, science and technology studies, and media studies. Papers on both premodern and modern periods are welcome.
Conference proceedings will consist of paper presentations followed by in-depth discussions as well as a roundtable on pedagogy. We aim to bring together early-career and senior scholars to explore fresh approaches to researching and teaching about Korea.
We will provide hotel accommodation for up to two nights and a limited amount of travel subsidies.
Please submit a paper abstract of 250-300 words and a 100-word bio by January 10, 2023. Abstracts and inquiries should be sent to naturetechthings2023@gmail.com. Acceptances will be notified by January 20, 2023.