[Commlist] Queering The Korean Wave across the Asia-Pacific: An International Symposium

*Queering The Korean Wave across the Asia-Pacific
An International Symposium*

/8^th to 9^th December 2022/

/Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Languages, and 
Literature
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia/

/Supported by the Academy of Korean Studies, Korean Studies Grant No. 
AKS-2022-R033/

Over the past two decades, the rise of international fandom for South 
Korean popular culture has attracted significant commentary. Buoyed by 
passionate fans of K-pop groups like BTS, the global success of K-dramas 
such as Squid Game, and practices like mukbang that have become 
ubiquitous across social media, the Korean Wave has radically 
transformed global popular culture, decentred Western media, and created 
new media hierarchies focussed on East Asia.

Despite a wealth of theorisation concerning how the Korean Wave has 
destabilised global media circuits centred on North America and Western 
Europe, however, there remains one conceptual domain that is still 
under-developed: how has the Korean Wave “queered” global popular 
culture and, in so doing, challenged the gendered status quo? In 
particular, there is a need to consider how the Korean Wave contributes 
to emerging networks of queer media and fandoms across the broader 
Asia-Pacific (especially within East and Southeast Asia).

The aim of this online symposium is to draw upon the theoretical 
traditions of queer theory to develop new understandings of the Korean 
Wave that specifically focusses on how Korean media and their fandoms 
challenge ideological norms in a variety of transnational contexts. Over 
two days, 16 scholars from around the globe will come together on Zoom 
to think about what it means to “queer” the Korean Wave.

Interested academics, fans, and media professionals are more than 
welcome to attend the public sessions. Presentation abstracts and author 
biographiescan be found here 
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PmPSp4Jyi5AHz3niioUuZxb7_FLjhaJ0/view?usp=sharing>.

*REGISTRATION LINK: *To access the Zoom meetings for the sessions,you 
must REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE here 
<https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/queering-the-korean-wave-an-international-symposium-tickets-465387997027>. 
*Registration is free, but will close on the morning before the 
symposium commences.

*_Thursday 8^th December_*

*Session 1: 1.30pm-2.30pm (Public)*

_Opening Keynote_: Thomas Baudinette – “Unpacking the Queer Potentials 
of the Korean Wave: Reflections from Fieldwork in Australia, Japan, and 
the Philippines” (1.30pm-2.30pm)

*Session 2: 3.00pm – 4.30pm (Public)*

 1. Mathieu Berbiguier – “(Dis)identifications of Queer K-pop Fans in
    the Online Sphere” (3.00pm-3.30pm)
 2. Olivia Faith George – “Queer Counterpublic and Queer Fan Activism in
    South Korean K-pop Fandom: Rainbow MooMoo as a Case Study”
    (3.30pm-4.00pm)
 3. Janey Umback – “‘Am I Simping, or Do I Want to be Him?’: Remixing
    Jung Kook and Gender on TikTok” (4.00pm-4.30pm)

*Session 3: 6.00pm – 7.30pm (Closed)*

Roundtable Discussion: All Participants

Moderated by Thomas Baudinette and Kristine M. Santos – “What Does it 
Mean to ‘Queer’ the Korean Wave? Debating Queer Theory and Practice in 
Korean Wave Studies” (6.00pm- 7.30pm)

*_Friday 9^th December_*

*Session 4: 9.30am – 11.30am (Public)*

 1. Chelsea Wenzhu Xu – “No Sissies on TV: Subculture, Neoliberalism,
    and Heteronormativity in Chinese Idol Survival Shows” (9.30am-10.00am)
 2. Alicia Kang – “Real Women in Korean Film and TV: Progressive
    Portrayals of Unmarried, Elderly, and Lesbian Women (10.00am-10.30am)
 3. Jonathan Jae-An Crisman – “Ambivalent Queerness: Navigating
    Heteronormative Cultures and Fan Desires in/The King’s Affection/”
    (10.30am-11.00am)
 4. Jiwoo Ha – “/Extraordinary Attorney Woo/: Redefining Disability and
    Masculinity in K-drama” (11.00am-11.30am)

*Session 5: 1.30pm-2.30pm (Public)*

Keynote: Kristine M. Santos – “Exploring Philippine Queer Possibilities 
through Transformative K-Pop Imaginations Online” (1.30pm-2.30pm)

*Session 6: 3.00pm – 5.00pm (Public)*

 1. Mylene T. De Guzman – “The Ships are Sailing: A Preliminary Study on
    Digital Fandoms and BLACKPINK Stan Twitter” (3.00pm-3.30pm)
 2. Zishan Lai and Michelle H. S. Ho – “‘Banning Sissy Idols to Clean Up
    the Entertainment Industry’: Queer Practices of Shipping BTS in
    Mainland China” (3.30pm-4.00pm)
 3. Rosallia Domingo – “What is the Future of Queer Activism?: A Look at
    LGBTQ+ Representation in K-Dramas (4.00pm-4.30pm)
 4. Albert Graves – “White Dreams: The Korea-Japan Imaginary for Gay Men
    in Southeast Asia” (4.30pm-5.30pm)

*Session 7: 7.00pm – 9.00pm (Public)*

 1. Asna Kadambot Mohamed Rasheed and Devanshi Sarin – “Almost-Kisses,
    Grabbing Crotches: OnlyOneOf, ‘Queerbaiting’, and the Politics of
    Dislike (7.00pm-7.30pm)
 2. Julia Trzcińska – “‘Your Sexual Orientation Based on Your Bias’:
    Queerness as a New Default in Online K-pop Fan Communities”
    (7.30pm-8.00pm)
 3. Mia Xinrui Liu – “Queering Mainstream Social Media: Organized Weibo
    Queer Writing and Consumption in Chinese BTS Fandom” (8.00pm-8.30pm)
 4. Thomas Baudinette – “Are You a Soft or Hard stan? Exploring the
    Affective Ethics of Shipping Culture among LGBTQ+ Fans of K-pop
    Idols” (8.30pm-9.00pm)

If you have any questions about the symposium, please direct them to the 
convener: (tom.baudinette /at/ mq.edu.au)


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