K-Pop is More Than Korean Pop Music; It’s about Social/Cultural Change
Media Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
(574) 284-4579
October 20, 2014 — The Saint Mary’s College Department of Global Studies is proud to host a lecture by John Lie, the C.K. Cho Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkley. On Thursday, October 30, at 5 p.m. in Carroll Auditorium, Madeleva Hall. Lie will discuss “What is the K in K-Pop?” The public is invited to attend this free presentation. Click for a campus map. The academic departments of Education, Political Science, and Sociology, the College’s Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership, and the Northeast Asian Council of the Association of Asian Studies are also sponsors of the lecture.
K-Pop or Korean pop music is characterized by a Western sound, synchronized dance moves, and a repetitive melody. While the genre has been gaining popularity internationally for about 10 years, the crossover year in America was 2012 when “Gangnam Style” by artist Psy galloped up the music charts.
Lie was born in South Korea, grew up in Japan and Hawaii, and attended Harvard University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies in 1982 and Ph.D. in Sociology in 1988. His scholarly interests are social theory, political economy, and East Asia. Among the books he has authored is his recently released book, published by University of California Press, “K-pop: Popular Music, Cultural Amnesia and Economic Innovation in South Korea.”
In a July interview about the book with The Korea Herald, Lie explained that K-pop says a lot about South Korea and the major social and cultural changes that have happened there in the last 20 years. According to the publisher’s description of the book, “Lie provides not only a history of South Korean popular music—the pre-modern background, Japanese colonial influence, post-Liberation American impact, and recent globalization—but also a description of K-pop as a system of economic innovation and cultural production.”
For more information, contact Laura Elder, assistant professor of global studies and intercultural studies, at lelder@saintmarys.edu or (574) 284-4028.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. The College’s single-gender environment has been proven, in study after study, to foster confidence, ethical leadership, and strong academic success. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate women and prepare them for postgraduate success whether it’s a first job, graduate school, or postgraduate service.