Sungmin Kim

Country

South Korea

Position

Associate Professor

Research Keywords

Media and Popular Culture in East Asia

Qualifications

MA: Communication, Seoul National University
PhD: Information Studies, University of Tokyo

Message

How is the cultural identity of a society formed? What are the requisites for the shaping of a society’s mass media popular culture? Further, once formed, how does it survive under the enormously powerful influence of globalization?

For the most part, recent debates about worldwide modernization and globalization have centered on the question of “transnationalizaiton of culture” in the field of cultural studies, media studies, and cultural sociology. The concept of “transnationalization” addresses the collapse of cultural boundaries among modern nations and the fragmentation of their respective cultural identities.

I teach courses that offer a chance to learn how to read and understand Japanese media popular culture in the historical context of the postwar Japanese society. I also consider how Japanese cultural products have been distributed, consumed and reproduced in the East Asian region.

Classes Taught on MJSP

Mass Media and Popular Culture in Postwar Japan

Selected Publications

Sengo Kankoku to Nihon Bunka:Washoku-kinshi kara Han-ryu made (Post-War Korea and Japanese Culture: From Banning Japanese Style to Korean Wave), Iwanami Shoten, 2014