About me and my work
I’m interested in how people understand themselves and others, how social expectations shape everyday life, and how ideas about identity and belonging develop across different social and cultural contexts.
At HUFS, I teach Korean-to-English translation in fields ranging from the humanities and social sciences to law, politics, science, and technology, as well as general translation. I previously taught “Sexuality and South Korean Society” at Korea University.
I earned my undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. At Seoul National University, I completed MA studies at the Graduate School of International Studies before earning an MA and PhD in Sociology.
Academic profiles & research records
You can find my researcher identifiers, university profile, and other academic records here.
My research and writing
Shadow Representations: 8-Milin’ Identity and De-Blacking Rap Music in South Korea
7(2), 125–144. I examine racial identity, the history of Korean rap, and the treatment of Blackness within the music industry.
Publication · DOI 10.1558/jwpm.42670 ↗Compromised Sexual Territoriality Under Reflexive Cosmopolitanism: From Coffee Bean to Gay Bean in South Korea
23(1), 23–46. I explore how gay men negotiate sexuality and belonging within a nominally heterosexual public space.
Publication · DOI 10.26863/JKARG.2017.02.23.1.23 ↗Gaytrification and the Re-orienting of Sexual Peripheries: The Displacement of Space and Place in South Korea’s Queer Underground
6(1), 90–119. I examine changing geographies of sexuality and queer space in South Korea.
Publication · Korea Citation Index ↗I’ve highlighted a few publications here rather than listing all of my work. Additional research and documents ↗
Academic work and public appearances
I’ve kept my conference presentations and media appearances on separate pages so you can explore each on its own.
A little beyond academia
Outside academia, I also competed in collegiate taekwondo in the United States. I participated in the 1995 and 1998 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships and earned a third-degree black belt in 1991.
해밀튼
사람과 사람 사이의 차이는 언제 사회적 경계가 되는가. 그렇게 만들어진 경계는 일상에서 어떻게 유지되고, 또 어떤 순간에 흔들리는가. 한국 사회의 인종, 젠더와 섹슈얼리티, 이주와 소속감을 연구하며 꾸준히 던져 온 질문들이다.
언어와 번역 역시 이러한 관심에서 출발한다. 언어는 단순히 현실을 설명하는 데 그치지 않고, 우리가 타인을 이해하고 사회적 차이를 인식하는 방식에도 영향을 미친다.
현재 한국외국어대학교 통번역대학원에서 한영 번역을 가르친다. 연구와 강의 외에도 학술대회, 방송, 팟캐스트 등 다양한 자리에서 한국 사회와 문화에 관한 대화를 이어 왔다.
Get in touch
If you would like to contact me about research, lectures, interviews, translation studies, or academic collaboration, you can find my institutional contact details on my official HUFS faculty profile.
I keep my university affiliation and institutional contact information on that official page.
For a more informal connection, you’re welcome to send me a note.
I’ve linked to institutional profiles, journal records, and media archives throughout the site wherever those records are available.