The starting point of this project is the observation of difference of Korean female students' fashion at UIUC. From that point, we dug further into the meaning of fashion in relation to one's identity across two countries and placed it within the broader context of global economy. Since more and more Korean students are forced to study abroad as self-development in competitive globalized society, the fashion also functions as a cultural capital to develop along with their educational capital. By comparing Korean trend with the American fashion, I found the common characteristics lied in these two styles. Korean women seem to be more fashionable than other ethnic groups. Unlike the Korean fashion trend that is more formal, the American style is more casual. But this does not mean that American students are less concerned with their looks nor they're free from social distinction via clothing. By adjusting their fashion to the locale, Korean students accept the racialized and commodified American concept and participate this social practice as a subject. Fashion is related to the personal choice of a certain consumption to express oneself. But it's not personal. It reflects all kinds of social category and distinction such as class, ethnicity, race and gender. fashion consumption at this global era is connected to a global mega corporations marketing strategy disseminated through mass media : TV drama, advertisements performed by famous entertainer, and Internet. In the current American cultural hegemony, nobody is free from the influence of american cutural commodities. Regardless of the physical, geographical difference of fashion in Korea and the US, and the tiring job of Korean women's self-development in their fashion also, they both reflect the neoliberal characteristics of cultural consumption.
Series/Report Name or Number
Anth 499, East Asian Youth and Global Futures, Prof. Nancy Abelmann and Prof. Karen Kelsky: East Asian youth have experienced perhaps the world’s most compressed development as well as the world’s most aggressive globalization policies. This course examines how youth in East Asia (China/s, Japan, and the Koreas) are making their way in our globalizing world, focusing in particular on the transformations in work, education, recreation, gender, and sexuality brought about by neoliberal economic restructuring in the region. Topics studied include the insecure job market for young people, consumerism, globalized pop culture phenomena such as Pokemon, the Korean wave, and Internet gaming, emergent LGBT communities, etc. Students are encouraged to focus their research projects on aspects of the U. of I. student life that reflect the experiences of East Asian youth in a global market. The U of I offers a fascinating window on East Asian youth because of the many college (and pre-college) students who make their way here – as well as the movement of “Amercian” youth to East Asia. Through participation in the Ethnography of the University Initiative (EUI), students will conduct local field research that reveals the global processes at issue. The course syllabus is available at: www.eui.uiuc.edu/docs/syllabi/ANTH499S08.doc
This collection examines the influence of globalization on the university and the university's place in a burgeoning world market for higher education.
The university offers an extraordinary opportunity to study and document student communities, life, and culture. This collection includes research on the activities, clubs, and durable social networks that comprise sometimes the greater portion of the university experience for students.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
