Nationalism and Popular Culture

I believe that Korean popular culture is intrinsically tied to nationalism, especially for second-generation Korean-Americans (who might not have as strong a connection with their motherland), popular culture helps act as a tool to link them back to their home culture. Popular culture covers a wide variety of elements (as we’ve been studying in this course): music, drama serials, food, graphic novels, etc. While it may not always be plausible to hop on a plane and fly to Korean in an attempt to immerse oneself in Korean culture, a Korean-American may indulge in Korean popular culture to learn more about and forge a connection with his or her home culture.

I find that Penn itself provides a plateau for exploring the correlation between popular culture and nationalism. A myriad of Korean-interest student organizations exist: KSA, KAP, PennSori and LiNk. I think it’s pretty amazing how the number of Korean-affiliated clubs outnumber all other ethnic-related organizations. Furthermore, Korean popular culture acts as a gateway for non-Koreans to learn more about Korean culture. Personally, after taking this course I have become fascinated by Korean culture and have decided to take up Korean language next semester and a minor in East Asian Studies. On a more serious note, popular culture definitely spurs nationalistic vibes in the life of Korean-Americans. Take for example the Korean Culture Show that’s taking place at Hall of Flags which is a fusion of both traditional (Korean Fan Dance, singing of Korean national anthem) and contemporary (Korean acapella group, KSA movie) acts.

On an unrelated note, I was doing research for my final paper and I’ve included an excerpt from an interesting article I’ve found:

\IDENTITIES AS ACCOMPLISHED BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS

One important aspect of the discourse of agency is its focus on identities
as being negotiated between participants. While many models of identity
seem to propose a dichotomy between identities which are either self-ascribed
or other-imposed, the discourse of agency notes that identities
are composed of both conscious attempts at self-ascription, as discussed
above, and other-recognition:

TWO WAYS OF ARTICULATING HETEROGENEITY

___________

Mike We call people fobby
“You’re acting fobby” and stuff
Just like the way they act and like
( . . . )
Honestly you can probably tell just by looking at the
person
Whether they’re more Americanized
Or more Koreanized51

—————

Evelyn: We joke cause one of my roommates is Korean
And she was born here you know
She’s complete but
she is into the whole Korean you know s-
Only listens to Korean music
Only watches Korean dramas
Only
And so we joke you know “You’re a fob”
“You’re a fob” 52
By highlighting the importance of the observer, who looks at someone
and recognizes her/him as a certain kind of social type and/or explicitly
brands someone else with an identity label, the discourse of agency foregrounds
the interactive nature of the achievement of identity, requiring
both an enactment of the signs of identity by one person and a recognition
of that identity by another.53 The discourse of agency thus focuses on
the externally visible and externally recognizable significations of identity.

My topic explores what it means to be a second-generation Korean-American living in the United States, (tying in Korean Diaspora, the Hallyu and how popular culture acts like a tool to link Korean-Americans back to their home culture and with each other). The second part of my paper touches upon the conflicts resulting from the differences between Korean-Koreans and Korean-Americans. I plan to conduct my research and establish my conclusions through a combination of personal interviews and scholarly articles.

Any comments/suggestions?