Sookyung Kim

Sookyung Kim is the 2010-2011 Takahashi Predoctoral Fellow at Shorenstein APARC. She is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Stanford University. Her major research interests focus on the relationship between globalization and nationalism, especially on how immigration impacts national identity of South Korea. She currently is completing a dissertation titled "Renationalizing the Nation: Securing Korean National Identity in the Era of Global Migration." South Korea, a mono-ethnic society maintaining strong nationalism, has recently emerged as a new destination for international migration especially from poorer Asian countries. The influx of foreigners and their growing visibility are challenging the mono-ethnic nature of Korean identity. This study examines how Korean society manipulates immigration issue to serve its competing needs of securing national identity and simultaneously conforming to global norms.

Before entering graduate school, Kim pursued a career in journalism from 2000 to 2004, working as a staff writer in the Dong-A Daily, one of the most widely circulated newspapers in South Korea. She has written articles on social affairs and arts. She also briefly worked as a translator in Newsweek Korean Edition. Kim received her B.A. in linguistics from Seoul National University. She was born in Seoul, South Korea.

This fellowship supports a Stanford University predoctoral student's research within a broad range of topics related to the political economy of contemporary East Asia. Fellows whose main focus is Japan are called Takahashi Fellows, in honor of the Takahashi family, whose generous gift has made this fellowship possible.