This session of "Rethinking Korea: New Perspectives on a Critical Region" features Dr. Hajin Jun. Dr. Jun is the James B. Palais Assistant Professor of Korean History in the Department of History and the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. She specializes in the history of modern Korea, the Japanese empire, and Christianity in East Asia. Her current book project examines the politics of ritual reform in early twentieth-century Korea. She explores how marriage, funerary, and ancestral rites became heated sites of contestation as Protestant leaders, Korean cultural nationalists, and Japanese colonial officials sought to realize disparate visions for the Korean people, as well as for the proper place of religion in modern society.

Dr. Jun's talk is titled, "Problem Kin: Ritual Reform and Wartime Mobilization in Colonial Korea."

The Rethinking Korea event series invites distinguished scholars of culture, transnational history, environment, and international relations to offer novel perspectives on Korea while situating its complex place within global developments. Northeastern University's Global Asian Studies Program invite speakers to share their work that will not only shed light on the internal dynamics and rich history of Korea but also explore the complex relationship between this critical region and the larger world.