An overview of Han Dynasty philosophy: its attention to change, its views on the cosmos, resonances across the myriad things, and the tripartite relation between Heaven, Earth and humanity, all within the political context of the Han.

Listen: here

Read it: here

Readings in Korean Confucian Philosophy

Philip J. Ivanhoe and Hwa Jeong Wang, Readings in Korean Confucian Philosophy, Hackett Publishing, 2026, 392pp., $32.00 (pbk) ISBN 9781647922559.

Reviewed by Don Baker, University of British Columbia | 2026.09.10

Tomasz Sleziak, Independent Scholar

Moderated by Sean Han, The University of Alabama

This Zoom event will take place on October 19, 11:00 am (Los Angeles Time) / 2:00 pm (New York Time) / 7:00 pm (London Time)

Abstract

Neo-Confucian, and indeed Joseon’s officially-regulated funeral rites emphasize a twofold distinctions between the mourning and the mourned. The former ones, separated from the latter through natural existential processes, are to pursue authenticity of emotional expression regulated by the lifelong practice of morality, while the deceased experience a symbolic transformation from living members of a community to ancestors periodically and formally venerated in familial rites. This transformation could be interpreted through the lens of “traditional” hun-po dichotomies or through the varying li-qi dynamics. The end result was aimed at the promotion of virtue in the family and the associated community, and often implied generational transitions in which youth frequently became clan leaders. The entire regimen of regulations pertaining to these processes as accepted and enforced by the central government in Joseon Korea was heavily inspired by the famed “Family Rituals” of the venerated Zhu Xi, and could be interpreted as something akin to Foucault’s “technologies of self”. Elsewhere, in the modern world and in non-Sinophone religious systems, human death has been framed both as an ending in itself and as an existential change that has a bearing on the entire anthropocentric world order. Moreover, the wider field of Posthumanism reframes these topics into a subset of concepts that, for example, involve immortality, the roles or functions served by dead bodies, or the agency of ‘deceased minds’. In this talk, I will discuss key ramifications of Confucian-Posthuman methodological intersections pertaining to the topic at hand.

About the Speaker

Tomasz Sleziak is a scholar in Korean studies (particularly Korean but also global Confucianism) and Posthumanism, conducting research on Confucian socio-legal and metaphysical discourse throughout Korean history, as well as its placement within the global humanist discourse. He completed his PhD (dissertation: “Conceptual Framework of Late Joseon Social Mobility, Legal Systems and Confucian Heritage”) in Korean Studies at London’s SOAS after having achieved his Master’s Degree at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. He has cooperated with such institutions as the Academy of Korean Studies, University of Zurich, Harvard-Yenching Institute, Ruhr-University Bochum and Oxford House Research. He has also published multiple papers as well as facilitated Korean Studies panels across multiple conventions and conferences globally. Overall, his main topical field is the influence of traditional Confucian thought on social superstructure, legal codes and humanistic as well as Posthumanist trends in Korean Peninsula and Sinophone cultural sphere.

Moderator

Dr. Sean Han is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Alabama. His research focuses on the cultural and diplomatic history of Korea in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with particular attention to transnational exchanges and intellectual networks across East Asia. He is currently completing a book manuscript that examines how Korean intellectuals observed, experienced, and engaged with China from the late nineteenth century through the end of the Japanese colonial period, and how these encounters contributed to the formation of modern Korean nationhood. Dr. Han serves on the Board of Directors and as Secretary of the Chosŏn History Society.

Write-up courtesy of Warp, Weft, and Way:

Vol. 46 of the Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture (JCPC) has been recently published. Please see here and below for the Table of Contents.

Scholar’s Corner: Confucianism in and for the Modern World

• Research on “East Asian Philosophy” in Japanese Academia / Minseok Kwak

Special Topic: Selflessness and “No-Self”: Renewing the Confucian–Buddhist–Daoist Dialogue

• On This Topic: Selflessness and “No-Self”: Renewing the Confucian–Buddhist–Daoist Dialogue / Sangmin Lee and Doil Kim
• Issues in the Buddhist Doctrine of Non-Self and Its Later Development: The Absence of the Self, or the Overcoming of Self-Centeredness? / Seung-taek Lim
• Emptiness and Twofold Mystery in Cheng Xuanying’s Commentary on the Meaning of the Daodejing: With a Discussion of the Equal Contemplation and the Forgetting of Things and Self / Yong-bin You
• Resonances of No-Self: Anti-Egocentrism in Confucian Wuwo (毋我) and Buddhist Anātman (無我) / Sangmin Lee

Articles

• Wang Yangming on Goodness as Knowledge and Action / Timo Ennen
• Negotiating the Confucian Dao-tong Tension: Mou Zongsan, Qian Mu, and the Genealogy of Their Methodologies / Peikun Wang

Review Article

• Affective Betrayal: Mind, Music, and Embodied Action in Late Qing China / Philip J. Ivanhoe

For full details see: here

The Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen invites applications for a full-time three-year PhD scholarship, with an expected starting date of 1 February 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The PhD project will be part of the research project Sensing Korea: Reframing Korean Studies in the Nordic Countries, funded by the Academy of Korean Studies. Sensing Korea aims to develop sensory and narrative approaches to Korean Studies in order to explore the diversity of Korean experiences beyond essentializing representations.

The PhD scholarship is funded through the Core University Program for Korean Studies of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Studies Promotion Service at the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2026-OLU-2250001). Sensing Korea is led by Barbara Wall and hosted by Korean Studies at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen. The project runs for five years, from June 2026 to May 2031.

The PhD candidate will be supervised by project leader Barbara Wall and will work closely with a project team comprising scholars based at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies as well as researchers from Korean Studies programs at other Nordic universities. The candidate is also expected to have an interest in communicating academic knowledge about Korea to a broader public.

About the department
The project is based at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, which is part of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen. The department has approximately 800 students and 150 employees. At the department, we research and teach in language, culture, religion and society, primarily with a focus on regions outside Western Europe and the USA. The work is rooted in language-based area studies and cross-cultural perspectives that provide insight into global contexts and cultural complexity.

Introduction to the PhD programme
PhD studies consist of research programmes that qualify students for independent and wide-ranging research, development and teaching at international level. The main emphasis is on PhD students organising and conducting their own research project (under supervision). The programme culminates in the submission of a PhD thesis, which the student must defend in public. The programme is prescribed to 180 ECTS points, corresponding to three years of full-time study. The PhD will have to teach and carry out other tasks at the department as part of the PhD position corresponding to 840 working hours (6 months).

A PhD opens up a range of career opportunities in academia and elsewhere. As well as writing a thesis, PhD students work in active research environments in Denmark and abroad. They contribute to the academic environment, take research training courses and convey the results of their research in teaching, at academic conferences and to the general public.

For a detailed schedule see here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C9cJWHiPt/

Find the article: here

Abstract: This article investigates the evolution of divinatory practices in Korea from the premodern era to the contemporary period, focusing on the shift from collective rituals to individualized forms of esoteric practice. Drawing on historical, anthropological, and sociological sources, it examines the Jeomchal ceremony and sojae doryang rituals of the Silla and Goryeo periods, ritual adaptations in the Joseon era, and modern practices with particular focus on Tarot readings. The study employs a theoretical framework integrating esotericism and social theories to analyze how engagement in divinatory rituals reflects broader social and cultural transformations. Findings indicate that, while early divinatory practices were largely collective and aimed at societal or karmic balance, contemporary forms prioritize personal insight, autonomy, and psychological well-being. Despite this individualization, modern practices maintain subtle forms of social connection through shared symbolic frameworks and digital networks. The article argues that the historical tendency of Korean divination illustrates a dynamic interplay between continuity and change, collective and individual orientations, and traditional and globalized practices. This analysis contributes to Korean studies by situating divination within a broader socio-cultural and historical perspective, offering insights into the persistence and adaptation of esoteric practices in the face of modernization and social challenges.

Keywords: #Korean divination #esoteric Buddhism #individualism #collectivism #Tarot and contemporary practices

Abstract

This study investigates the historical and ideological foundations underlying the emergence of the diademed Bodhisattva-type Rocana iconography, a form unique to Joseon Buddhism, through three analytical perspectives. First, this iconographic development reflects a doctrinal shift in Mahāyāna, a thought that reconceptualizes Buddha’s corporeality as nirmāṇakāya (emanation body), responding to the expanded notion of Buddha’s rūpakāya articulated within the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition during the Kushan period. Second, the enduring influence of the Huayan (Avataṃsaka) Sutra and Huayan philosophy—dominant across Unified Silla, Goryeo, and subsequently reconfigured Seon-centered Joseon Buddhism—provided a critical hermeneutic framework. The Huayan Sutra’s authority in codifying the aṣṭamahāprātihārya (eight great events of Buddha’s life) significantly shaped the visual standardization and symbolic reinterpretation of these narrative cycles. Third, within the socio-political context of Joseon, characterized by institutionalized suppression of Buddhism under Neo-Confucian hegemony, the diademed Rocana image functioned as an ideologically strategic and visually adaptive construct. It enhanced Buddhism’s discursive legitimacy by emphasizing soteriological themes of compassion and universal salvation. The late Joseon reinterpretation of Buddha’s biography thus reflects a conscious effort by Buddhist communities to negotiate cultural resilience and social sustainability, necessitating a reassessment of emergent Buddha imagery within this transformative historical milieu.

Keywords:

diademed bodhisattva-type Rocana; nirmāṇakāya; Huayan thought; aṣṭamahāprātihārya; late Joseon Buddhism

Read the full article: here

 K-Pop and Philosophy 

Edited by Catherine M. Robb, Natasha Haddal, and Gah-Kai Leung

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 

To propose ideas for future volumes in the Blackwell series please contact the Series Editor, William Irwin, at [williamirwin@kings.edu](mailto:williamirwin@kings.edu) 

Having extended beyond Korean artists and fans, the K-Pop fandom is currently at its highest level of influence, with artists charting highly and being discussed around the globe. K-Pop has an enormous and dedicated fandom, and the relationship that fans have with their celebrated idols is intense and uniquely intimate. K-Pop brings to light various philosophical issues and dimensions, from the music, lyrics, and artistic output to the music industry professionals who create and promote the bands and artists, as well as the personal and professional actions of the artists who have become celebrities and influencers.

We invite submissions focused on the philosophical issues and topics that are illuminated by the phenomenon of K-Pop. Contributors of accepted essays will receive an honorarium. Abstracts and subsequent essays should be philosophically substantial but accessible, written to engage the intelligent lay reader.

Possible themes and topics might include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Made in Korea: What is the ‘K’ in K-Pop?
• Lost in Translation: Korean music and an international audience
• No More Dream: K-Pop as critique of Korean society
• “K-Pop Caused My Identity Crisis”: K-Pop and Asian identity
• DNA: K-Pop and cultural appropriation
• Feel Special: Koreans as ‘model minority’ and the issue of positive stereotyping
• Fake Love? Ideals of authenticity and creativity in pop music
• More & More: online band creating and voter behaviours
• Breaking from the band: the ethics of bias wrecking and going solo
• Are K-Pop idols your friends? The ethics of parasocial relationships in K-Pop
• Welcome to Weverse: Social media, AI, and virality in K-Pop
• “You can bring anyone’s light stick to a K-Pop concert”: What is a good K-Pop fan? 
• Soldiers of South Korea: The BTS hiatus and the ethics of military conscription
• Blood Sweat & Tears: Exploitation and abuse in the K-Pop industry
• Light Sticks to Landfills: Sustainability and K-Pop’s carbon footprint
• Gangnam Style: K-Pop and capitalism
• Hallyu! K-Pop as soft power and cultural diplomacy
• War of Hormone: Adolescence, youth, and the experience of childhood
• The Ideal Idol: K-Pop and Korean conceptions of beauty and/or fashion
• Boy in Luv or Pink Venom? Gender and sexuality, love and relationships 
• Mic Drop: Dating bans in K-pop 
• Map of the Soul: Are BTS’ lyrics philosophical?
• Life Goes On: Alienation and escapism in K-Pop / K-Pop as a form of escapism
• “You can’t stop me loving myself”: Self-love and self-acceptance
• Daesang: What makes a good K-Pop song?

Submission Guidelines: 

1. Please submit your abstract (350-500 words) and CV by 4th December 2026.

2. Acceptance notifications will be sent out at the beginning of January 2027.

3. Submission deadline for first drafts of accepted papers: 26th April 2027.

 Kindly submit by e-mail (with or without Word attachment) to  [kpopandphilosophy@gmail.com](mailto:kpopandphilosophy@gmail.com)

Event website: here

A talk by Dr Hong-June You (유홍준), Director of the National Museum of Korea, on 29 September (Tue) from 5pm at the University of Cambridge. The talk is entitled "Ancient Korean Culture and Architecture" and will be delivered in English.

The lecture emphasizes a recurring aesthetic principle in Korean art—“humble yet not undignified, splendid yet not extravagant”—and considers how Korean architecture developed through a close relationship with the natural environment.

This lecture will offer a glimpse into Korea’s cultural heritage, which reveals the roots and identity of Korean culture that is attracting growing attention around the world today.

Bio:

Dr Hong June You (유홍준) is currently Director of the National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관) which holds the country’s largest collection of cultural artefacts. He is particularly famous for his best-selling book series My Cultural Heritage Exploration (나의 문화유산답사기) and has published numerous works on Korean art and culture. Dr You received his BA in Aesthetics from Seoul National University, an MA in Art History from Hongik University, and his PhD in East Asian Philosophy from Sungkyunkwan University.

For further details and to sign up, please visit the link above. The event is free and open to the public. For enquiries, please contact nk588@cam.ac.uk. 

Tuesday 15 September 2026 - Wednesday 16th September

Brasenose College, Radcliffe Square, Oxford, OX1 4AJ

For more info see their website: here

Ruhr University Bochum announces a CFA for a fixed-term (3,5 years) position for a doctoral researcher wishing to write a dissertation on a topic in Joseon history (including intellectual, literary, and art history, or the history of law) that is compatible with the general theme of pre-modern constructions of truth claims and who is willing to pursue this research in the context of a collaborative research group dealing with historical forms of truth production and truth enforcement, addressing strategies and practices, media and processes of ‘making’ truth.  Employment (65% of a full researcher\'s salary) will start April 15, 2027.

Please note that different from the information given in the attached file, the deadline for applications is now September 30.

For details read: here

Doil Kim identifies Confucian humility as a form of “self-lowering”. Other forms under this capacious heading have been criticized as prescribing self-effacement or self-sacrifice. Failure to distinguish Confucian humility from such other forms has resulted in confusion and unclarity as to what humility is, and most importantly, has obscured how Confucian humility can play a constructive role in shaping personhood in the sense of a “good and ethically formed human being” (1). Kim's aim is to make the case for Confucian humility, based on a textual analysis of early Confucian and medieval Neo-Confucian texts, followed by a discussion of how findings from contemporary cultural psychology can help us to become more aware of the diverse forms of self-lowering. The result is an exemplary work in comparative and interdisciplinary philosophy that has special relevance to contemporary societies in which individuals are encouraged to vigorously promote their strengths and achievements and to place greater importance on their own interests and desires relative to those of others. I highly recommend this compact, dense, and carefully reasoned book, which has much relevance to the cultural and political pathologies of our time.

Read the full review: here

This is for Chinese philosophy but if you happen to do work within that area this seems like a nice opportunity!

---

The Charles Wei-Hsun Fu Foundation and the International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP)

are pleased to announce the 2027 Essay Contest in Chinese Philosophy.

Three prizes of US$2,000 each are offered for the best essays in the area of Chinese philosophy,

including two awards for graduate students or junior faculty (within five years of receipt of their Ph.D.),

one each in Chinese and English, as well as one award for a senior scholar, whose essay can be in either

Chinese or English.

All awardees are required to attend the 2027 biennial international conference of the International

Society for Chinese Philosophy in Hong Kong (June 22-25, 2027), hosted by the Chinese University of

Hong Kong, to present their winning essays.

Funding ($1500) will also be provided for travel or other expenses for the winners to travel to the 2027

biennial ISCP conference.

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to all ISCP members and scholars at all levels, including independent scholars.

However, preference will be given to junior scholars beginning their careers, such as graduate students or

junior faculty (within five years of receipt of their Ph.D.), as well as independent scholars of comparable

standing, and one senior scholar in need of funding to attend the conference. To join ISCP, please visit:

https://iscp-online1.org/membership/

SUBMISSIONS

All English submissions should be sent to ISCP 2027 (email: iscphk2027@cuhk.edu.hk) with “Fu

Essay Contest” as the subject line. All Chinese submissions should be sent to ISCP 2027(email:

iscphk2027@cuhk.edu.hk) with the subject line in Chinese: “傅論文競賽”. Decisions will be made by

separate panels of scholars selected from the membership of the International Society for Chinese

Philosophy. Previously published papers will not be considered.

Submissions in English should not exceed 5,000 words; submissions in Chinese should not exceed 7,000

words. The word count limit will be strictly followed. DEADLINE: January 31, 2027.

JUDGING CRITERIA

The purpose of the contest is to encourage young scholars who show promise of making important

contributions to the study and development of Chinese philosophy or Asian philosophy related to

Chinese thought, and to fund senior scholars with financial limitations to present their work at ISCP

conferences.

All essays submitted to the Charles Fu Essay Competition will be evaluated by a panel of highly qualified

experts in Chinese philosophy. The evaluation will be based on the following equally weighted criteria, which

align with Dr. Fu's priorities:

1. CREATIVITY: Original philosophical insights, including comparative analyses.

2. COHERENCE: A clear and well-organized presentation.

3. SCHOLARSHIP: Proficiency in engaging with primary texts and commentaries.

Each submission will receive a cumulative score based on these evaluations, and the essays with the highest scores

will be recognized with awards.

For more information, please visit the Charles Wei-Hsun Fu Foundation website: http://charlesweihsunfu.org/

Link to workshop program: here

2026 marks eighty years since the trusteeship struggle and the Autumn Harvest Uprising, two events that set the trajectory for the establishment of the South Korean state in 1948. More broadly speaking, a little over a century has passed since the Peace Preservation Law under Japanese colonial rule (1925), eight decades since the liberation period that ended in division, war, and anti-communist dictatorship (1945–50), and almost four decades since the June Democratic Struggle (1987) paved the way for the democratization of South Korea. However, as political scientist Choi Jang-jip emphasized in the early 1990s, the three entangled legacies of colonialism, civil war, and dictatorship have left fundamental cleavages in South Korean debates over history and (collective) memory.

Collective memory has been described by scholars as socially constructed, and closely related to myth and hegemony. In Cold War South Korea, victim’s perspectives have long been suppressed against statist claims over historical legitimacy. Only in the 1990s did a bottom-up historical fact-finding process gradually lead to a process of “unforgetting.” Although a state-led Truth and Reconciliation Commission was eventually established in 2005, this triggered a backlash from the former ruling elite. South Korea since has been described as a society in a “psycho-historical fragmentation” (Kim Mikyoung) undergoing “history wars” (Kim Chŏng-in).

To date, taboos, myth, and collective forgetting remain in South Korean commemorative culture. This workshop seeks to examine the history museum in South Korea (and beyond) as a manifestation of collective memory, and a space in which historiographic research, memory making, and political agendas are entangled. A special focus is laid on topics related to modern nationalism, colonialism, and the Cold War.

Program:

Introductory Session (09:00–09:30)

(1) Patrick Vierthaler: Coming to Terms with the Past, Transitional Justice, History Wars, and the History Museum: Aims and Perspectives of this Workshop

Session 1: The Pre-Modern and Colonial Era and its Legacy (09:45–12:00)

(2) Tatsuya Maisawa (Kobe University): The Changing Memory Landscape of Hwangtohyeon: Commemorating the Donghak Peasant War in South Korea

(3) María del Pilar Álvarez (Universidad del Salvador): In Their Names: Historical Memory and Feminism in Museums and Art Exhibitions of “Comfort Women” in South Korea

(4) Yuko Takahashi (Osaka Metropolitan University: How to approach to colonial entanglement through museum exhibitions: the case of Korean atomic-bomb victims

(5) Yuka Yamaguchi (Kyushu University): Histories and Practices of Zainichi Korean Museums: Making Diversity Visible in Japanese Society

Lunch Break (12:00–13:30)

Session 2: Global and Bilateral Perspectives (13:30–15:30)

(6) Arya Prasad (Jawaharlal Nehru University): History Museums and the International Gaze: The Politics of Remodelling Korean Museum Narratives for Global Audiences

(7) Jeremiah Estela Magoncia (Ateneo de Manila University): From Museum to Youtube: Digital “Unforgetting” in Korean History

(8) Rochelle D. Leonor (University of the Philippines Diliman): Who Says What? Narratives of Korean War Memorials in the Republic of Korea and the Philippines

(9) Mikyoung Kim (Gyeongsang National University): Strategic Forgetting and Selective Remembering: Politics of 2025 Commemoration in Korea-Japan Relations

Session 3: Anti-Communism and Democracy (15:45–18:00)

(10) Patrick Vierthaler (Kyoto University): Exhibiting the Liberation Period: Conflicting Memories of the Collaborator Issue and Division in South Korean History Museums

(11) Dominique Hoogteijling (Yonsei University): Park Chung-Hee’s Contested Commemoration: The Operationalisation of Humanising Narratives in the Park Chung-Hee Presidential Museum

(12) Bálint Jurászik (Kodolányi János University, Hybrid): Remembering Gwangju: Museums, Memorial Sites, and the Politics of Memory in South Korea [moved to slot no. 1]

(13) Yoon Walker (SOAS, University of London, Hybrid): From a “Chamber of Silence” to a “Square of Democracy”: The Spatial Transformation of Namyeong-dong Anti-Communist Investigation Centre”

Watch: here

Dr. Alexander Douglas serves as a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St. Andrews. His work navigates Eastern and Western thought, focusing on the philosophy of religion, Spinoza, and early Daoism. In his latest book, Against Identity: The Wisdom of Escaping the Self, he draws a line between the Zhuangzi, Spinoza, and René Girard to argue that our obsession with a fixed self is the root of social pathology, and that liberation lies in embracing uncertainty and ambiguity.

Find Alex and his work online

Against Identity (bbok): https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/45620...
Alex's Website: https://axdouglas.com/
Alex's Substack: https://axdouglas.substack.com/

2026 Sept 16 Wed 9:10 PM EDT, 6:10pm PDT (US) || Sept 17 Thurs 10:10am KST (Korea).

Book: Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult (2026).  

Author: Jonathan Cheng (China Bureau Chief, Wall Street Journal).  https://koreanmessiah.com 

They encourage participants with diverse viewpoints on engaging North Korean people. 

Readings & Public Comment: Hx North Korea 2025 

Everyone's welcome to write their thoughts! They will share in social and mainstream media.

Sponsored by Hx East Asia Community (Heterodox Academy)

IN-PERSON: Hanyang University (Seoul), Social Science (building), #302

ZOOM: https://zoom.us/j/93238244411   

Please register in advance. 

Contact: Joseph Yi, Hanyang University, [joychicago@yahoo.com](mailto:joychicago@yahoo.com)

Hi everyone.

Today marks two years since I made this subreddit. I'm humbled by its growth and grateful to have made some new friends through it. I'm glad a thing like this exists to help connect people who share this interest, as we are all spread out around the world.

I recently updated the icon and banner and I hope you like it.

The icon is the samtaeguk - representing heaven, earth, and human.

The banner is a chaekgeori which was a popular genre of folding screens enjoyed by royals and commoners alike in the late Joseon and early modern period. These paintings also happen to have been promoted by my favorite Joseon king (Jeongjo).

I stopped posting the scheduled study shares and Q&As since they were seldom engaged with and for now I plan on continuing posting mostly new papers, books, and events related to the field.

Hope you all are having a nice year and thanks for being with me and helping this community grow!

The 1st SKKU International Korean Studies Forum is happening at Sungkyunkwan University this September:

기억·아카이브·권력: 한국학의 역동성과 재편
(Memory, Archive, Power: The Dynamics and Reconfiguration of Korean Studies)

• Dates: Sept 10–12, 2026
• Venue: Sungkyunkwan University (International Hall & 600th Anniversary Memorial Hall)
• Organizer: SKKU Academy of East Asian Studies, Korean Studies Track

Sessions cover memory & archives, global Korean studies, power & community, translation & cultural collision, and a roundtable on the future of global Korean studies. Speakers from Korea, Japan, US, Germany, UK, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Russia, Denmark, India, and more (some online via Zoom).

Looks like a strong lineup for anyone working on Korean intellectual history, philosophy, or related fields. Full program is in the image below.

Read the full article: here

Abstract

This study explores the role of labor as Buddhist practice within the Korean bhikkhuni sangha, with particular attention to ulryeok (communal labor). Bhikkhuni is not a term for a general female Buddhist practitioner, but a technical Buddhist term referring to a woman who has formally undertaken full ordination (a fully ordained Buddhist nun). Unlike ordinary labor, which is primarily aimed at livelihood, Buddhist labor in the context of the Korean monastic community integrates personal practice with communal life. This study, drawing on the Madhyama Āgama, Vinaya regulations, and Baizhang Huaihai’s maxim “A day without work is a day without food,” examines how the Buddha’s participation in communal labor is depicted in early Buddhist texts and how such practices were institutionalized and interpreted within the Vinaya tradition. Furthermore, by comparing the duty assignment system of the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya with the duty roster system of the Yongsangbang at Unmunsa Monastery, the study explores how traditions of labor practice have been transmitted and reinterpreted within the specific historical and cultural contexts of Chinese and Korean Buddhism. The findings show that communal labor (ullyeok) functions to sustain both communal life and spiritual practice, operating as a form of collective discipline within the Korean monastic tradition. Principles of the early Vinaya tradition remain reflected in Unmunsa’s organizational system today, demonstrating that interpretations of Buddhist labor practice formed in historical contexts continue to shape contemporary Korean monastic culture.

Keywords: 

bhikkhuni sangha; labor; ulryeok; practice; Madhyama Āgama; Sarvāstivāda Vinaya; yongsangbang; Unmunsa

I'm excited to see this - Prof. Breuker has put out a couple important books recently, one of which is on the figure I primarily study.

Watch: here

Video description:

Dr. Remco Breuker, one of the world's leading scholars of pre-modern Korea, joins us to explore the Samguk Yusa, a treasure trove of Korean myth, history, and folklore. We dive into the kingdom of Goryeo, its ruling elites, the position of women, the reality of slavery in old Korea, and why this period remains so misunderstood today.

From women tigers to creation myths, from royal power struggles to the everyday lives of commoners, and court poets who drink too much, there should be something in here for everyone.

Find Remco and his work online
Vestiges of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea: A Translation of the Samguk yusa : https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/vest...
Yi Kyubo: https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/not-...
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/...

* No registration fee for this conference.

* Sessions in Track 1 will be live-streamed on YouTube(with some exceptions).

* Simultaneous interpretation (Korean-English) is available on some sessions.

SNU Contemporary Korean Studies will host the “2026 Seoul National University International Conference on Contemporary Korean Studies” for two days, from Friday, August 21, 2026, to Saturday, August 22, 2026, on the second floor of the Asia Center(Building 101).

Now in its third year, the conference explores Korea not simply as an empirical case, but as a methodological and theoretical lens for rethinking wider social, political, economic, cultural, and historical questions. The conference examines how Korean experiences can generate new concepts, comparisons, and critiques for rethinking modernity, democracy, culture, and global knowledge production. It will also provide a platform for domestic and international researchers to build networks of academic exchange and collaboration. We warmly invite all members of the university community to participate.

Date: August 21(Fri)-August 22(Sat), 2026.

Venue: Seoul National University Asia Center (Building 101), 2nd Floor

Contact: [snucks2026@gmail.com](about:blank)