11th Annual Korean Studies Writing Prize Awarded

11th Annual Korean Studies Writing Prize Awarded

Two PhD students were awarded the 11th annual Korea Program Prize for Writing in Korean Studies for their papers.
11th annual Korea Program Prize for Writing in Korean Studies awarded Dafna Zur, Yeseul Byeon, Michelle Ha, and Gi-Wook Shin at the CEAS fall reception, October 3, 2022. Photo credit: Ekaterina Mozhaeva

Yeseul Byeon (PhD student, History) and Michelle Ha (PhD student, Modern Thought & Literature) were awarded the 11th annual Korea Program Prize for Writing in Korean Studies for their papers: Byeon on her paper "Shrine in Every Village: Legacies of Religious Reform in Cheju, 1702-3"; and Ha on her paper "Beyond Diaspora: Racial Capitalism and Empire in Kim Young-ha’s Black Flower."

In Byeon's own words on her paper: "My essay delves into the question of regionality in premodern Korea, taking as a case study a religious purge that took place in Cheju in 1702. Instigated by scholar-official (and magistrate of Cheju at the time) Yi Hyŏngsang, the incident has been regarded as something of a puzzle and an anomaly. Yi’s persecution of popular religion goes far beyond the scope of the social reforms we typically associate with the 'confucianization' of Chosŏn. What explains the extraordinary zealotry? Why here, and why at this time?”

“I find the keys to this question in Yi’s accounts of the purge, which I analyze alongside Yi’s writings on the human geography and history of Cheju more broadly," Byeon comments. "I identify the purge within a larger struggle over the territoriality of the Chosǒn state, arguing that Yi’s actions and words connote a paradigmatic shift regarding Cheju’s place in the Korean polity, from foreign 'other' to wayward insider, politically contiguous with the peninsula, yet utterly distinct in terms of its cultural and physical landscape. My question also extends to the evidentiary basis upon which scholars today reason about and narrate the history of the 1702 purge — I argue for a recognition of the archival silences that surround this incident, and a broadened outlook on the sources of truth for Cheju’s past." For more information about the paper, please visit the CEAS website.

In Michelle Ha's own words on her paper "Beyond Diaspora: Racial Capitalism and Empire in Kim Young-ha’s Black Flower": "I am researching early twentieth-century Korean indentured labor migration to Mexican agave plantations within the frames of racial capitalism and empire. These frames are certainly relevant to understanding the story of Koreans in Mexico; however, most South Korean scholarly and artistic works tend to present this migration in bilateral terms, explained by push and pull factors between the Korean and Yucatán Peninsulas. ” “Kim Young-ha’s historical novel Kŏmŭn kkot (Black Flower) uniquely seems to break out of this binational mold, incorporating themes of race and racialization as well as transpacific imperial competition into its narrative," Ha comments.

"In my paper, I argue that Black Flower takes up an imperial turn — against dominant trends in South Korean scholarship that tend to narrowly focus on issues of adaptation and ethnic identity between countries of origin and destination. By analyzing the novel’s understudied narrative features, I demonstrate how Black Flower contextualizes Korean migration to Mexico within European settler colonialism in the Americas and Japan’s transpacific settler empire. In doing so, I suggest that Black Flower provides a model of narrating migration history with a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the political, legal, and economic structures that shape human movement — one that helps place the Korean experience in global and comparative perspective." For more information about the paper, please visit the CEAS website.

Sponsored by the Korea Program and the Center for East Asian Studies, the writing prize recognizes and rewards outstanding examples of writing by Stanford students in an essay, term paper, or thesis produced during the current academic year in any discipline within the area of Korean studies, broadly defined. The competition is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Past Recipients:
10th Annual Prize (2021)
9th Annual Prize (2020)
8th Annual Prize (2019)
7th Annual Prize (2018)
6th Annual Prize (2017)
5th Annual Prize (2016)
4th Annual Prize (2015)
3rd Annual Prize (2014)
2nd Annual Prize (2013)
1st Annual Prize (2012)

Read More

"Patterns of Impunity" by Robert King on a backgorund showing the flags of North Korea, South Korea, and the United States.
News

Why North Korean Human Rights Matter: Book Talk with Robert R. King

In his new book, "Patterns of Impunity," Ambassador King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights from 2009 to 2017, shines a spotlight on the North Korean human rights crisis and argues that improving human rights in the country is an integral part of U.S. policy on the Korean peninsula.
cover link Why North Korean Human Rights Matter: Book Talk with Robert R. King
Little white cup of espresso coffee, opened book, blue semi-transparent vase with purple lilac flowers on rustic wooden table in the garden at spring morning after sunrise or at evening before sunset
News

What to Read This Summer — 2021: Book Recommendations by APARC Faculty

APARC faculty suggest dozens of books for your summer reading.
cover link What to Read This Summer — 2021: Book Recommendations by APARC Faculty
Postdoc Spotlight on Nhu Truong, 2020-21 Shorenstein Fellow
Q&As

Postdoc Spotlight: Nhu Truong Compares Government Responsiveness in China and Vietnam

2020-21 Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow Nhu Truong, who studies how authoritarian regimes like China and Vietnam respond to social pressure, explains why understanding differences in governance is crucial in an era of fluctuating politics and pandemic.
cover link Postdoc Spotlight: Nhu Truong Compares Government Responsiveness in China and Vietnam

Read More

Kerstin Norris
Q&As

Research Assistant Spotlight: Kerstin Norris Examines Race and Racism in Asia with Gi-Wook Shin

MA in East Asian Studies candidate Kerstin Norris spent the summer assisting APARC and Korea Program Director Gi-Wook Shin with his research on racial tensions in Asia. Looking to pursue a PhD in Sociology, Norris found tremendous value in a collaborative academic environment. We spoke with Norris about her experience as a research assistant and her time working with Dr. Shin.
cover link Research Assistant Spotlight: Kerstin Norris Examines Race and Racism in Asia with Gi-Wook Shin
 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waves a national flag during the celebration of the 77th National Liberation Day at Presidential House on August 15, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea.
Commentary

The Path Ahead for Yoon

How Korea’s New President Can Recover from His First 100 Days of Struggles.
cover link The Path Ahead for Yoon
Stanford campus archway and text about call for applications for APARC 2023-24 fellowships
News

APARC Invites Fall 2023 Asia Studies Fellowship Applications

The Center offers a suite of fellowships for Asia researchers to begin fall quarter 2023. These include postdoctoral fellowships on contemporary Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, inaugural postdoctoral fellowships and visiting scholar positions with the newly launched Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab, and fellowships for experts on Southeast Asia.
cover link APARC Invites Fall 2023 Asia Studies Fellowship Applications