May 9 & 10
Location: 1010 Weiser Hall
We invite graduate students in Korean Studies across all disciplines to participate in the 12th International Conference of NextGen Korean Studies Scholars (NEKST) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The NEKST conference provides an opportunity for graduate students to share their research, receive feedback from faculty members and other graduate students, and contribute towards the building of an interdisciplinary community of future scholars in Korean Studies. NEKST 2025 is scheduled to be an in-person event. The two-day conference will feature panel presentations, workshop sessions for dissertation chapters, and roundtables devoted to critical issues in Korean Studies. Partial travel grants and lodging stipend are available for participating graduate students. Meals will be provided during the conference.
About
The 12th NEKST conference is sponsored by the Nam Center for Korean Studies at the University of Michigan with support from the Academy of Korean Studies. The conference organizing committee is composed of graduate students at the University of Michigan.
Please note that meals are not provided for the public.
NEKST Organizing Committee (alphabetical order)
Graduate Students:
- Seohyung Kim (Anthropology)
- Sunhong Kim (Chair; Ethnomusicology)
- James Kiselik (English Literature and Cultures)
- Hanna Lee (Political Science)
- Jane Haeun Lee (Asian Languages and Cultures)
- Ok Ji Lee (Asian History)
- Jieun Oh (Political Science)
- Kaeun Park (Asian Languages and Cultures)
- Adelina Pinzaru (Asian Languages and Cultures)
- Sonia Singh (Asian Languages and Cultures)
Faculty Advisor:
- Youngju Ryu (Director, Nam Center for Korean Studies; Asian Languages and Cultures)
- Ji Yeon Hong (Nam Center for Korean Studies; Political Science)
Coordinators:
- Minyoung Song (Nam Center for Korean Studies)
- Eva Fall (Nam Center for Korean Studies)
For further information, please contact NEKST2025@umich.edu.
Deadline for submission of abstracts: Jan 31, 2025
Notification of acceptance: Feb 17, 2025
2025 Manuscript submission: Apr 14, 2025
Amidst constant exchange of ideas and active mobilities across regional boundaries as acts of translocal and transnational engagement, Korean Studies has expanded its horizon beyond specific times and places. Under the theme “Mobility and Liminality: Korea Across Boundaries,” NextGen Korean Studies Scholars Conference cordially invites graduate students to participate in the 12th International Conference of NextGen Korean Studies Scholars. The graduate student body of the NEKST conference aims to provide an opportunity for graduate students to share their research, receive feedback from faculty, network with fellow graduate students, and contribute to building a collaborative community of scholars.
In line with our conference theme this year, we seek to bring together diverse perspectives that explore Korea across physical, symbolic, and conceptual boundaries. We encourage participants to consider this theme as an analytical tool or a framework to shape their research topic. As such, we welcome submissions from a variety of disciplines that include, but are not limited to, the (digital) humanities, social sciences, art/performance, and applied studies. We also encourage contributions that cross disciplinary and methodological lines. With the understanding of Korea writ large, we strive towards fostering dialogue that can open up new avenues of inquiry.
Submission guidelines:
Eligibility to apply for this conference is open not only to graduate students (M.A./M.M/M.Phil/M.F.A/Ph.D./D.M.A) but also those who hold a terminal master’s degree. We welcome submissions on the research topics provided above. We accept three forms of submission: 1) individual paper presentation, 2) panel proposal, and 3) chapter workshop. More information is below:
- Individual paper presentation: Abstract is required (250-word limit). Speakers will hold a 15-minute presentation, followed by a Q&A session. In order to receive feedback from a faculty member, your full written manuscript should be sent by Apr 14, 2025.
- Panel proposal: Panel abstract (200-word limit) and each speakers’ paper abstract (250-word limit) are required. Speakers can consist of 3-4 members. Each speaker will have a maximum of 15 minutes to present, followed by Q&A. All individual speakers’ presentations should be sent by Apr 14, 2025.
- Chapter workshop: This is for PhD candidates who are at an advanced level in their doctoral program. Your dissertation abstract, your chapter manuscript, and a short description of how your selected chapter is relevant to your dissertation should be included in the submission. Each speaker will have a 45-minute workshop and a faculty member will offer extensive feedback on the manuscript during this time. The deadline for submission is by Apr 7, 2025.
All abstract submissions should be uploaded through Easychair. Click “make a new submission” in the section of Author.
Panel abstracts and manuscript submissions should be sent to NEKST2025@umich.edu.
International/domestic flights and lodging funding will be partially provided with the generous support of the Nam Center for Korean Studies (NCKS) and the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) Grant.
For those who are interested in researching the archives at the University of Michigan, the U-M Library provides generous Asia Library Travel Grants for advanced graduate students and faculty of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean studies from other institutions to explore our Asian Library collections that encompass rich resources related to Korea, Japan, and China. We highly recommend potential speakers to apply for this travel grant. Potential speakers who receive this grant can extend their stay in Ann Arbor to conduct archival research in any out of ten libraries at the University of Michigan. This grant supports up to $1,000 to assist with the cost of travel, lodging, meals, and photo duplication.
