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USC's Korean Studies Institute is organizing the following conference

"Technoscience, Gender, and Cultural Transformations in Korea"

Main Organizers:

• Sunyoung Park, Director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California and Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Gender and Sexuality Studies
• Jinhee Park, Co-President of the Energy Transition Forum Korea and Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Dongguk University

This conference seeks to advance the growing interdisciplinary field of cultural studies of science and technology in Korea by examining the dynamic intersections of technoscience, gender, and culture. Notably, the number of South Korean women in STEM fields has more than tripled since the 1990s, a trend that underscores women’s expanding roles beyond traditional STEM careers, spanning science fiction writing, science communication, and other technology-based cultural innovations. Hosted by the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California, the conference will foster dialogue across disciplines and methodologies to deepen our insights into both the gendered impacts of contemporary technoscientific developments and the ways in which embodied perspectives inform technoscientific practices and cultural imaginaries.

We welcome proposals from scholars of all disciplines, academic ranks, and geographical locations. All proposals must engage with Korean contexts. Potential thematic areas include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Women’s contributions to the Korean history of science and technology
• Gender equity policies and institutional cultures in STEM fields
• Gendered perspectives on social movements for equitable and democratic science and technology
• Technofeminism and the gender divide: access, agency, and power structures (in workplaces, digital cultures, and beyond)
• Critical evaluations of emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, robotics, genetic engineering, etc.) from a gendered perspective
• Feminist speculative technological designs
• Representations of gender and science in science fiction, SciArt, and other cultures of science
• Posthuman feminism and gendered imaginaries of the Anthropocene

We invite submissions from scholars working in science and technology studies (STS), cultural and media studies, gender and sexuality studies, anthropology, history, sociology, and related fields. While the official conference language is English, we will also welcome particularly innovative research presentations in Korean.

We are currently planning an in-person conference at the University of Southern California, with possible optional hybrid presentations in cases where travel poses difficulties.

Submissions should include the following:

• Title of the paper
• Abstract: A 300-word summary outlining the paper’s central argument, methodology, and significance. A panel proposal should include the individual abstracts along with a 300-word panel abstract.
• Bio: A brief biography (150-200 words) including the author’s institutional affiliation, if applicable

Please send your abstract to ksiconference@usc.edu by July 10, 2025. Notification of acceptance will be sent by August 10, 2025. Accepted presenters are required to submit a 15-minute presentation paper by January 10, 2026. After the conference, we will deliberate on the possibility of gathering select papers into a publishable volume.

The conference will take place at the University of Southern California (USC) on February 13, 2026, with the possibility of extending to a two-day event depending on the number of accepted submissions. The USC Korean Studies Institute will provide accommodations for all presenters during the conference period. At this time, no additional travel subsidies are available, but all efforts will be made to defray the cost of travel for junior scholars.

If you have any questions, please contact the local organizer, Sunyoung Park, at sunyounp@usc.edu.