The Best of Times, the Worst of Times? Koreans in America in COVID Times

Date: 

Thursday, February 2, 2023, 4:30pm to 6:00pm

Location: 

Belfer Case Study Room (S020), CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

SBS Distinguished Lecture in the Social Sciences
Final

 

Taeku Lee
Bae Family Professor of Government, Harvard University

Chaired by Nicholas Harkness, Modern Korean Economy and Society Professor of Anthropology; Director, Korea Institute, Harvard University

Abstract:
This talk presents a portrait of the Korean-American community today, from demographic changes and socioeconomic status to reports of bias and hardship, perceptions of group belonging and race relations, and political orientation and engagement. Between the antipodal tropes of “model minorities” and “perpetual foreigners” sit multiple, contradictory themes of a group that is growing, yet slowing; successful, yet struggling; collectivist, yet isolated. These antinomies pose particularly keen challenges and opportunities for Korean Americans given the context of COVID-19, racial polarization, and political crisis in the United States today.

 

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To attend this online event, please register here.

Generously supported by the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) Endowment for Korean Studies at the Korea Institute, Harvard University