Professor Moon Seungsook is a political and cultural sociologist, scholar of gender studies, and East Asianist specializing in South Korea. She grew up in Seoul, Korea and lived and worked in Boston and Cambridge, MA before moving to Vassar College. Her research evolved from feminist critiques of nationalism, militarism, democratization, and citizenship to globalization and transnationalism shaping militarism and civic agency, production and consumption of food and masculinities. She is a recipient of notable awards, including a Fulbright Scholars Award (2004-05), an inaugural endowed-chair visiting professorship at Harvard University (2014-15), and the Laboratory Program for Korean Studies Research Grant from the Academy of Korean Studies (2018-23). Her latest book is Civic Activism in South Korea: The Intertwining of Democracy and Neoliberalism (2024).

Civic Activism in South Korea: https://www.amazon.com/Civic-Activism-South-Korea-Neoliberalism/dp/023121149X

Discussion Outline 

0:00 Introduction

7:00 The real life effects of neoliberalization

15:40 Life in pre-democratic South Korea

21:00 Neoliberalism and democracy in South Korea

32:53 Citizens' Organizations in South Korea

42:05 Neoliberalization and religion

51:35 The profound irony of individualism

55:05 Multiculturalism in South Korea

1:02:45 Recommendations

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

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