The Global Impact of South Korean Popular Culture: Hallyu Unbound

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This volume fills a gap in the existing literature and proposes an interdisciplinary and multicultural comparative approach to the impact of Hallyu worldwide. The contributors analyze the spread of South Korean popular products from different perspectives (popular culture, sociology, anthropology, linguistics) and from different geographical locations (Asia, Europe, North America, and South America). The contributors come from a variety of countries (UK, Japan, Argentina, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Indonesia, USA, Romania). The volume is divided into three sections and twelve chapters that each bring a new perspective on the main topic. This emphasizes the impact of Hallyu and draws real and imaginary maps of the export of South Korean cultural products. Starting from the theoretical backgrounds offered by the existing literature, each chapter presents the impact of Hallyu in a particular country. This applied character does not exclude transnational comparisons or critical interrogations about the future development of the phenomenon. All authors are speaking about their own, native cultures. This inside perspective adds an important value to the understanding of the impact of a different culture on the national culture of each respective country. The contributions to this volume illustrate the globalization of the cultural products of Hallyu and show the various faces of Hallyu around the world.

Reviews

The Global Impact of South Korean Popular Culture: Hallyu Unbound helps elaborate the importance of the spread of Korean popular culture beyond simply the Asian continent to South America, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. Using various academic disciplines, this volume demonstrates how the Korean wave has affected the view of Korea and its culture in diverse areas throughout the world, especially in heretofore unexplored areas like Eastern Europe where little scholarship has focused in the past. This book is an excellent choice for those who wish to gain a better appreciation of the importance of the Korean wave and how it continues to expand and shape the consumption of Korean culture globally. -- Michael Pettid, Binghamton University
This book examines the substantial role Hallyu plays as a source of Korean cultural identity, contributing to the ongoing discussion of the significance of popular culture in cultural branding. Its chapters offer a documented view of the impact of Hallyu in a very wide geographic space and diverse cultural contexts, and suggest new ways for interpreting highly dynamic representations of Korean society and culture shaped by Hallyu around the globe. The variety of vantage points and the interdisciplinary approach make the book a stimulating read for scholars in cultural studies, media, and tourism, as well as for those interested in the commodification of culture. Also, scholars wishing to get a more nuanced understanding of the deliberate construction of cultural identity through the promotion of popular culture will find this book valuable and enlightening. -- Codrua Sntionean, Babe-Bolyai University

Author Bio

Valentina Marinescu is reader at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work at Bucharest University.