Venue: Laue-Saal

Speakers

• Kwon Gi-Jun (National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, Seoul, South Korea): The Korean Wave Exhibition in Germany
• Prof. Dr. Julia Gerster-Damerow (IRIDES, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan): Disaster Cultural Memory in Japan. How to represent 3.11?

Discussant/Moderation: Prof. Dr. Cornelia Reiher (Japanese Society, Freie Universität Berlin)

Abstracts

Kwon Gi-Jun (National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, Seoul, South Korea): The Korean Wave Exhibition in Germany

The Korean Wave, a surge of Korean popular culture, has risen more dramatically than ever in recent years. This rise resulted in exhibitions in London and Seoul. The Victoria & Albert Museum introduced the overall concept of the Korean Wave, from history to fashion. Meanwhile, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History focused on the Korean Wave as a global phenomenon and tried to compare it to other cultural waves from America and Asia. As the Korean Wave did, these two exhibitions are preparing touring exhibitions on the other side of the world. What can be discussed through the exhibition when meeting the new audience? Reviewing the 30-year history of Korean music, drama, and movies will give visitors a new perspective on how Korea's hybrid culture, different from that of China and Japan, grew with the interaction between nationalism and transnationalism. Moreover, how fandom was formed and rose, accepting not well-known Asian culture would be an essential subject to deal with in the German context.

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Prof. Dr. Julia Gerster-Damerow (IRIDES, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan): Disaster Cultural Memory in Japan. How to represent 3.11?

After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, numerous disaster memorial facilities were preserved or newly created at the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region. However, the distinction between what is upheld as a cherished piece of cultural memory and what is dismissed as mere "debris" has emerged as a deeply contentious and persistently debated issue within local communities. This presentation introduces some of these multifaceted debates, shedding light on the divergent narratives that have arisen among the stakeholders involved.