Call for Proposals: Cosmopolitan Korean Wave Edited Collection
We are seeking critical papers from all academic disciplines on the Korean Wave for an edited collection titled Cosmopolitan Korean Wave.
The Korean Wave, or Hallyu, has brought together global citizenry regardless of political affiliations and cultural backgrounds. A Reddit 2024 survey, for instance, shows that thousands of Korean drama or K-drama viewers are of non-Korean descent, and most consume other K-content alongside other dramas from different places. However, the term “cosmopolitan” refers to more than just the global spread and influence of South Korean popular culture. As Ulrich Beck argued, “there is no cosmopolitanism without localism,” and the Korean Wave phenomenon exemplifies the interplay between global and local forces.
Thus, this collection critically examines the global reception of the Korean Wave, both across and within local communities, from multiple perspectives and in diverse fields across geographical and geopolitical boundaries. We raise questions about how and why South Korean popular culture and literature have been received, the universal values they embody, and the global significance that can be drawn from this trend by acknowledging the diversity of local communities.
We welcome papers that address these questions through various approaches, focusing on specific themes or literary and cultural texts.
The edited collection will be organized into thematic sections around the following topics and others that may emerge from submissions. The proposed title of the book and its main sections are as follows:
Title: Cosmopolitan Korean Wave
Potential topics:
1. Theories and Concepts: This section will contain communication, literary, marketing, philosophical, political, or other theories relating to the local or global reception of Korean cultural content. Papers that examine the consumption of Korean texts, culture, and media through traditional or experimental theory are welcome.
2. Universal Themes and Global-Local Appeal: This section will contain papers that look at Korean content through a local lens. Papers that draw correlations between Korean products and local understanding or reception of those products are welcome.
3. Criticisms and Future Prospects: This section will contain papers that examine the Korean Wave through a critical lens. Papers identifying potential pitfalls or flaws projected through Korean content that potentially could alter the future of the Korean Wave, or papers that project the future of the Korean Wave through potential outcomes are welcome.
Proposals should be submitted via Google Form through this link: https://forms.gle/zeCJNjavoSGZp63v9 by 31 March 2025.
An individual paper/ chapter proposal should include:
1. Title
2. Abstract of the paper (300 words)
3. Working bibliography
4. Information about the author: full name, title, affiliation, email address, and brief bio (up to 150 words)
The author/s of chapters selected for inclusion will be notified before 30 April 2025, and the first drafts of chapters will be due by the third quarter of the year. The complete draft should be between 4000-4500 words, excluding abstract, references, and other information. A reputable publisher has shown interest in the collection.
For questions or clarifications, prospective authors should contact Prof. Hazel Biana, Prof. Molly D. Boyd, and Prof. Joon Ho Hwang at kwave2025@gmail.com, hazel.biana@dlsu.edu.ph, mdboyd@uark.edu or joonhohwang@ewha.ac.kr.
Note: Acceptance of a proposed abstract does not guarantee the acceptance of the full chapter.