Though the Korean scholars recently show quite a few interests in the East Asian cultural exchanges, they appear to face a number of dilemmas in building solid concepts in order to produce the practical academic agenda. Not only is the conceptualizat ...
Though the Korean scholars recently show quite a few interests in the East Asian cultural exchanges, they appear to face a number of dilemmas in building solid concepts in order to produce the practical academic agenda. Not only is the conceptualization about the East Asia be difficult, but also the application of cultural exchanges to the specific East Asia produces the complicated and conflicting facets. To understand the East Asia from the perspectives of the "locality" and "local culture," there should be the recognition of the specific geographical placement in the contexts of the concurrent history of East Asia. With this reason, the East Asian hegemony distinguishing from the capitalist globalization should be negated. This study starts with the productive investigation of the East Asian cultural exchange to reestablish and refresh what is the "cultural exchange."
First and foremost, the examination on the historical aspects of the Chinese popular culture will be noted. Here, the aspects will be roughly divided into three periods: the forms of popular culture before the 1970s, the pursuit of modernity through the imports and translations of the Western culture in the 1980s, and the postmodern era after the 1990s.
Second, the cultural collections of the subjects converting the star-system into the popular artist making with the focus on the benefit increase will be examined in the analysis of the Chinese fan sites in terms of "Korean Waves."
Third, the attention will be placed on the "Old Shanghai" nostalgia prevalent throughout the entire world. By examining how the Shanghai nostalgia has been established and how it has been consumed, this part points to clarify the specific meanings and functions of the East Asian Chinese community, which culminates to Robertson’s "Nostalgia-producing Globalization."
Finally, the general discussions on the media cultural exchange in the East Asia triggered by the Korean Waves will be summarized and analyzed. For this goal, the theoretical resources such as the cultural imperialism and media imperialism are explored to suggest globalism, hybridity, etc.
The products of the second year progressed with the theme of transnationalism in the East Asian popular culture. Above all, the cultural transformation in China while undergoing the transition from the 1980s reformation economy to the 1990s market economy has been dealt with. On the basis of the academic achievements on the internalization of the transformation, the outside culture as the outer force, especially the imports and consumptions of the outside popular culture have been discussed.
Second, the birth of the "Korean Idol Pop" in the 1990s was proposed as the cultural potential of the Korean Waves, and the conditions of the cultural economics for this phenomenon was examined in the contexts of the birth of the Korean Waves.
Third, this study pointed to investigate Hongkong’s pop culture as one of the most important examples forming the pan-Asian culture in the 1970s and 1980s. Based on the models of singer and actor, investigations were dealt with in the contexts of Hongkong’s culture and industry.
Fourth, Shanghai filmic melodrama in the 1930s has been dealt with. The melodramatic structures and functions of the Shanghai leftist film in the 1930s have been analyzed, which sheds lights on the discussions of the contemporary melodrama.
Fifth, the comparative perspective was made on the television melodrama by overviewing the imports of the Korean Currents TV drama to the East Asia.
Sixth, the complicated and conflicting aspects in the internet nationalism have been discussed in the relationship between the China’s participation in the globalization and the Chinese nationalism as its counterpart.
Finally, the Chinese literature in the internet as a new literary tool has been discussed in terms of its significance and future.