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USC's Korean Studies Institute is hosting the inaugural conference of its new program, the March First Symposium on History and Democracy. See below for the conference program. You can find further details and RSVP links here. 

*** Hybrid access available for those outside of LA

Colonial Koreans Across Linguistic and National Boundaries

March 25, 2025 | 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m | Doheny Memorial Library (DML), 240

This conference seeks to broaden and integrate existing historical accounts of colonial Korea (1910–1945) with an understanding of Korean diasporic experiences in countries such as the United States, China, and Japan. Bringing together leading scholars of both colonial Korea and early Korean America, the gathering will provoke reflection on personal experiences in the era of global imperialism on both sides of the Pacific. Inspired in part by the publication of Kim San and Nym Wales’ Song of Arirang, conference speakers will address a diverse range of topics, including the transpacific critical reimagining of Korean history, the contributions of diasporic activism to the domestic independence movement, and the effects of colonization on the development of a Korean American identity. This event marks the inaugural MARCH FIRST SYMPOSIUM ON HISTORY AND DEMOCRACY. The popular uprisings on the Korean peninsula of March 1, 1919, represent a foundational moment in the history of both South Korea and North Korea. The University of Southern California and its Korean Studies Institute have special ties to this event. The KSI is housed in the family residence of March First leader AHN CHANG HO, while USC’S KOREAN HERITAGE LIBRARY preserves the historical archives of the Korean National Association (1909–1988). The conference will include an exhibition of selected documents from these archives. The conference is organized by SUNYOUNG PARK (EALC, USC) and JUNGEUN HONG (USC Libraries). Event sponsors include the USC KOREAN STUDIES INSTITUTE, the USC KOREAN HERITAGE LIBRARY, and the SHINSO ITO CENTER FOR JAPANESE RELIGIONS AND CULTURE.

 

Conference Schedule

 

11:00–11:05 a.m. Welcome remarks by William Deverell, Dean, Division of Social Sciences

11:05–11:15 a.m. Opening remarks by Sunyoung Park, Director of the Korean Studies Institute

 

SESSION I Presenting Song of Arirang: The Story of a Korean Revolutionary in China

11:15–11:30 a.m. Sunyoung Lee (Chief Editor, Kaya Press), “Bringing Back Song of Arirang: A Publisher’s Perspective”

11:30 a.m.–12:00 noon Dongyoun Hwang (Volume Editor, Soka University), “Re-reading Song of Arirang from a Regional Perspective”

12:00 noon–12:30 p.m. Q&A moderated by Jiwoong Choi (USC)

12:30–1:30 p.m. Lunch Break and Exhibition Tour: The Archives of the Korean National Association at USC

 

SESSION II Negotiating Late Colonial Modernity: Korean Culture During World War II

1:30–2:00 p.m. Kyu Hyun Kim (UC Davis), “Problematizing ‘Collaborationist Literature’: Intersubjective Identity Construction in Yi Kwangsu and Ch’oe Chae-sŏ’s Late Colonial Writings”

2:00–2:30 p.m. Mi-Ryong Shim (University of Georgia), “The Cultural Politics of Mobility: Fascism, Racial Capitalism, and Transborder Migration in Late Colonial Korea”

2:30–3:00 p.m. Jiwoong Choi (USC), “Im Hwa Beyond Joseon Cinema: Reading a Transnational Film Theory in Colonial Korea”

3:00–3:30 p.m. Q&A moderated by Sunyoung Park (USC)

3:30–4:00 p.m. Coffee Break

 

SESSION III Remembering the Early Korean American Diaspora

4:00–4:30 p.m. Kenneth Klein (USC Libraries), “Curating the Archives of the Korean National Association (1909–1988)”

4:30–5:00 p.m. John S. W. Park (UC Santa Barbara), “Koreans as ‘Aboriginals’: American Scholarly and Diplomatic Accounts of Korea, 1871–1905”

5:00–5:30 p.m. Youngoh Jung (University of Hawaii), “A Different Diaspora: Cross-Racial Encounters and the Possibilities of Solidarities in the Korean American Diaspora, 1907–1933”

5:30–6:00 p.m. Q&A moderated by Gloria Koo (USC)