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Korea DeconstructedAuthor: David Tizzard
Exploring Korea through open conversations with historians, students, professors, pop stars, and everyone in between. Learn, reflect, and understand with Korea Deconstructed. The host, David Tizzard, has a Phd in Korean Studies and is a Professor at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He also writes a weekly column in the Korea Times. Language: en Genres: Science, Social Sciences, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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100 Years of Queer Korean Fiction | Dr. Samuel Perry
Episode 123
Monday, 9 March, 2026
What does it mean to be queer in a society often defined by its rigid traditions, colonial scars, and rapid neoliberal transformation? In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, we sit down with Dr. Samuel Perry from Brown University to challenge the common misconception that LGBT issues are a "new" or "Western" import to the Korean peninsula. Through his new anthology, A Century of Queer Korean Fiction, Dr. Perry reveals a long-standing tradition of diverse sexualities and gender expressions that have navigated censorship, war, and dictatorship for over a hundred years. We explore the coding of literature during oppressive eras, the dangers of using Western yardsticks to measure Korean resistance, and how the rise of neoliberalism has impacted social visibility versus true acceptance. From figures like Yi Gwangsu to the gritty, three-dimensional characters of modern writers like Sang Young Park, we explore a literary history that is as complex but, at the same time, beautiful. About the Guest: Samuel Perry is an Associate Professor of East Asian Studies at Brown University. A specialist in Japanese and Korean history, culture, and literature, he is the author of Recasting Red Culture in Proletarian Japan: Childhood, Korea, and the Historical Avant-garde. His most recent work includes the dual-language anthologies A Century of Queer Korean Fiction and 한국의 퀴어 문학: 한 세기 (2023). Public Profiles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emersonius/ Publications: https://sites.brown.edu/samuelperry/publications/ Brown Profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/sperry Discussion Outline 0:00 Introduction 7:00 Queer Issues are Not Modern 13:30 Yi Kwangsu and Colonial Queerness 18:30 Does Modernity Oppress Queerness? 25:00 What is Korean Literature? 31:00 Sang Young Park 44:00 Yi Seoyoung 48:00 Changing Language 54:00 The Future of Queer Literature Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for two decades. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr. ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @koreadeconstructed ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128 ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com
