Drawing on ethnographic research with Jeju villagers, conservationists, and environmental activists, Dr. Jeongsu Shin, LB Korean Studies postdoctoral associate in the East Asia Program at Cornell University, will explore how memory, ecology, and place intertwine in Jeju’s Giving Forest. Once a site of violence during the April 3rd Uprising and later transformed through afforestation and tourism, the Giving Forest has become a living archive of layered histories and ecological regeneration. Dr. Shin’s lecture, “Entangled Ecologies: Memory, Place, and the Camellia Forests of Jeju,” will take place during International Education Month.

Dr. Shin is the LB Korean studies postdoctoral associate in the East Asia Program at Cornell University. An ethnographer of Korea, her work bridges environmental studies, Asian studies, and science and technology studies. Her book project, Worldly Ecologies: Landscape, History, and Decolonial Environmentalism on Jeju Island, explores how environmental movements and ecological research in Jeju, South Korea, have shaped new understandings of Jeju identity and autonomy, tracing their roots through colonialism, the Cold War, and neoliberal development to the present.

The Korean Studies Research Network aims to bring together scholars whose research focuses on Korea-related topics and to provide mentoring to emerging scholars. It serves as a platform for collaborative and interdisciplinary research among scholars and graduate students at the University of Iowa and other institutions across the Midwest through seminars, speaker series, and workshops.

Each November, the University of Iowa celebrates the many ways international education and exchange opportunities prepare citizens for community building in both national and international settings. Visit the International Education Month site to see all the events taking place in November.

This event is made possible through generous support from the Stanley University of Iowa Foundation Support Organization and International Programs.