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Associate Professor
My research interests focus on aspects of contemporary South Korean society and sociology of the body in particular.
My current collaborative research projects focus on Korean popular culture, various aspects of Australia-Korea relations (including DFAT-funded policy research into Korean language education in WA), and sociology of the body in Korea. I am currently working on a monograph tentatively titled Cosmetic Matters: The Body, Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty in Korea.
I currently work across multiple positions as an Associate Professor of Korean Society and Culture at Curtin University; Deputy Head of School (Social Sciences, School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry); Dean Global, Northeast Asia (Office of the Deput Vice Chancellor Global), and Director of the Korea Research & Engagement Centre (KRC). I have years of strategic leadership experience both in managing and developing academic programs, learned associations, business engagement and academic service roles. My research outputs include internationally high-impact publications in the field of cultural sociology and Korean Studies, and the significant interest in my research is evidenced by frequent media engagement in major global news outlets, service to the academic community in the form of peer reviewing and organising conferences, and significant success in winning competitive research funding.
I have 25 years of experience in the field of Korean Studies, and have played an important role in developing academic networks in Australia, Germany and the UK. I have worked in major Universities in this area (Sheffield University, Leeds University, Frankfurt University and UWA) in significant leadership positions, and in developing internationalisation of the curriculum within the institutions that I have worked at. I have served as the President, Vice President and Treasurer of the Korean Studies Association of Australasia (KSAA) over the past decade, Director of the Korea Research Centre of WA, Vice President of the Korean Cultural Committee of WA, and a member of the Australia Korea Business Council’s Education Subcommittee.
Through my various roles I am active in advocating University engagement with Korean businesses, as well as through organising a number of events and activities to engage with the local business and education community. In 2021 I was honoured to have been listed among one of the 60 Australians whom the Australia Korea Foundation (DFAT) deemed to have made a significant contribution to enhancing Australia-Korea relations.
QUALIFICATIONS
PhD The University of Sheffield, Korean Literature and Critical Theory, 2006
BA (Hons) The University of Sheffield, Korean Studies (First Class), 2000
SFHEA Higher Education Academy, Senior Fellowship, 2019
CURRENT AND PRIOR ACADEMIC POSITIONS HELD
2024-present Deputy Head of School (Social Sciences), School of Media, Arts, Communication and Social Inquiry, Curtin University
2025-present Dean Global, Northeast Asia, Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor Global, Global Curtin
2022-present Associate Professor of Korean Society and Culture, School of Media, Arts, Communication and Social Inquiry, Curtin University
2022-2025 Dean Global, Korea, Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor Global, Global Curtin
2020-present Director, Korea Research & Engagement Centre, Curtin University (externally funded with $1.06 million grant)
2022-2024 Major Coordinator of Korean Studies program, MCASI, Curtin University
Sept 2022-Jan 2023 Acting Director of Graduate Research, MCASI, Curtin University
2012-2019 Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, Asian Studies, University of Western Australia
2017-2020 Deputy Head of School (Teaching & Learning Portfolio), School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia
2014-2015 Graduate Research Coordinator & Deputy Head of School, School of Social Sciences
2010-2012 Director of Korean Studies and Jun. Professor (W1) of Korean Society and Culture Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt University), Germany
2008-2010 Academic Developer and Researcher, Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Centre for Promoting Learner Autonomy, Sheffield Hallam University, UK (with special focus on curriculum design and student-centred T&L approaches)
2007-2008 Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, Leeds University, UK
2003-2010 Lecturer in Korean Studies (sessional), School of East Asian Studies, The University of Sheffield, UK
Peer reviewed journal articles:
Elfving-Hwang, J. (2024) ‘Imagined authenticity: The Somatic Semiotics of Global "Koreanness“‘‚ Mechademia: Second Arc, Vol. 17.1, pp. 52-61. Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/article/946207.
Zhu, S. & Elfving-Hwang, J. (2024) “My wife made me”: motivations for body and beauty work among older Korean and Chinese migrant adults in Australia, Journal of Women & Aging, DOI: 10.1080/08952841.2024.2307180
Park, H., Elfving-Hwang, J., Whitney, Y. (2022), ‘Why aid diplomacy eventually pays off : Lessons from Australia’s Demonstration Sheep Farm Project in 1970s South Korea‘, Melbourne Asia Review: https://www.melbourneasiareview.edu.au/why-aid-diplomacy-eventually-pays-off-lessons-from-australias-sheep-demonstration-farm-project-in-1970s-south-korea-2/ (online)
Mackie, V., Baudinette, T., Chakraborty, M. N., Chan, D., Elfving-Hwang, J., Pendleton, M., & Suganuma, K. (2021). Remembering Romit Dasgupta. Portal: journal of multidisciplinary international studies, 17(1/2). https://doi.org/10.5130/pjmis.v17i1-2.7470
Elfving-Hwang, J. (2021). Man Made Beautiful: The Social Role of Grooming and Body Work in Performing Middle-aged Corporate Masculinity in South Korea. Men and Masculinities. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X20976730
Elfving-Hwang, J. (2020), ‘Media, Cosmetic Surgery and Aspirational Beauty Aesthetics of the Ageing Body in South Korea’ for a special edition of Asian Studies Review (‘Beauty and Whitening in Asia’), eds. D. Henley, N. Porath and A. Hardon 45(2): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2020.1736513
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2017), ‘The Aesthetics of Authenticity: Corporate Masculinities in Contemporary South Korean Television Dramas,’ Asia Pacific Perspectives 15 (2): 55-79.
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2016), ‘Out, Down and Out? Beauty Work and Agency among Elderly Korean Women’, Journal of Aging Studies 38 (2): 6-15 .
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna and Jane Park (2016), ‘Australian Media, Korean Cosmetic Surgery and the Question of Race‘, Continuum 30(4): 397-407 DOI:10.1080/10304312.2016.1141864.
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2015), ‘Disaster Narratives in Contemporary South Korean Cultural Imaginary‘, Korea Journal 55(3), 8-29 (SSCI indexed)
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2013), ‘South Korean Cultural Diplomacy and Brokering ‘K-Culture’ outside Asia‘, Korean Histories 4(1), 14-26.
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2013), ‘Cosmetic Surgery and Embodying the Moral Self in South Korean Popular Makeover Culture," The Asia-Pacific Journal, 11(24), 1-11.
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna and Ruth Holliday (2012), 'Gender, Globalization and Aesthetic Surgery in South Korea', Body and Society 18(2), 58-81. (This article was nominated as an article of ‘key importance to the field of sociology’ in 2014 (www.sociologyresearch.org) and has been on list of most-read articles of the journal since its publication in 2012.)
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2006), 'The Improper Desire for Knowledge: De-gendering Curiosity in Contemporary Korean Women’s Literature', The British Association of Korean Studies Papers, Vol. 10, pp. 107-118.
Book chapters
Fraschini, N., Elfving-Hwang, J. and Tao, Y. (2024) ‘Korean Language Education in Western Australia: Development and Challenges’ in Enabling Learning: Language Teaching for Australian Universities, eds John Kinder and Nicola Fraschini (Canberra: ANU Press), Chapter 13.
Elfving-Hwang, J. (2022). Pretty Tough: Reading Visual Aesthetics of K-Pop Masculinities. Hallyu! The Korean Wave (Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London),
Elfving-Hwang, J. (2021). The Body, Cosmetic Surgery and the Discourse of Westernization of Korean Bodies. In M. Craig (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Politics of Beauty (1 ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429283734-31
Elfving-Hwang, J. (2020). Competency as an Embodied Social Practice: Clothing, Presentation of Self and Corporate Masculinity in South Korea. In J. Hoegaerds, & K. Aarvik (Eds.), Making It Like Man: Men, Masculinities and the Modern Career, pp. 137-151 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter). https://www.degruyter.com/view/title/551333
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2018). ‘K-pop Idols, Artificial Beauty and Affective Fan Relationships in South Korea’, in Handbook of Celebrity Studies, ed. Anthony Elliot (London and New York: Routledge), pp. 191-201
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2011). ‘Cross-border representations in North and South Korean Cold War Literatures’, in Global Cold War Literatures: Western, Eastern and Postcolonial Perspectives, ed. Andrew Hammond (London and New York: Routledge), pp. 44-57.
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2008). 'The Improper Desire for Knowledge: De-gendering Curiosity in Contemporary Korean Women’s Literature', in Korea: The Past and the Present, eds. James Hoare and Susan Pares (Dorset: Global Oriental), pp. 446-454 (ISBN 1-901903-54-0)
Elfving-Hwang Joanna, Kenisha Garnett and Ivan Moore (2009). ‘Learner Autonomy and Professional Development: Enabling Learning and Teaching Innovations through Engaging with a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’ (as lead author,), in Improving Student Learning: For the Twenty-First Century Learner, ed. Chris Rust (Oxford: Oxford Brookes University) (ISBN: 1 873576 79 3), 116-27.
Policy Reports
Elfving-Hwang, J., Milak, E. & Zhu, S. eds. (2023), 70 Years after the Korean War: Australia-Republic of Korea Relations and Prospect for Peace in the Indo-Pacific, Korea Research Centre Paper Series 2(1) (Bentley: Korea Research and Engagement Centre).
Elfving-Hwang, J., Street, L. and Ammali, S. (2023) International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), Report on the National Symposium on the future of Australia-Korea school partnerships, IEAA, pp. 10-12.
Dean, P. & Elfving-Hwang J. (eds). (2021), ROK-Australia Defence and Security Ties: Prospects and Reflections on the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations [Special Issue], Black Swan Strategy Paper 1(1) (Perth: UWA Defence and Security Institute). Available online: https://defenceuwa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Black-Swan-Strategy-Paper-Issue01_ROK-AUS.pdf
Elfving-Hwang, J. & Dean, P. (eds.) (2021), Toward Deeper Engagement: Prospects and Reflections on the 60th Anniversary of ROK-Australia Diplomatic Relations [Special Issue], Korea Research Centre Paper Series 1(1) (Perth: Korea Research Centre).
Elfving-Hwang, J. (2021), ‘Reflecting on 60 years of Academic Korea Expertise in Australia: (Missed) Opportunities and Challenges Ahead’, in Toward Deeper Engagement: Prospects and Reflections on the 60th Anniversary of ROK-Australia Diplomatic Relations [Special Issue], Korea Research Centre Paper Series 1(1) (Perth: Korea Research Centre), pp. 20-23.
Book reviews and Short articles
Elfving-Hwang, J., Mendez, T., Monden, M. (November 3, 2021), ‘Where is Asia in ‘Fortress Australia’?’ Asian Currents: https://asaa.asn.au/where-is-asia-in-fortress-australia/
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna, ‘K-pop fans are creative, dedicated and social - we should take them seriously’(July 2, 2019), The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/k-pop-fans-are-creative-dedicated-and-social-we-should-take-them-seriously-119300
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna ‘Darf man seinen Kindern eine Schonheitsoperation zum Abitur schenken?’ GEO Magazine (Germany), January 4, 2016, https://www.geo.de/magazine/geo-magazin/424-rtkl-moral-international-darf-man-seinen-kindern-eine-schoenheitsoperation
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna, and Ruth Holliday, ‘Gender, Globalization and Aesthetic Surgery in South Korea', discussion paper published on Academia.edu. This paper has been viewed more than 35,000 times, and is currently trending in the most viewed 1% articles on Academic.edu: https://www.academia.edu/726850/Gender_Globalization_and_Cosmetic_Surgey_in_South_Korea
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna and Jane Park, 'Does Everyone Just Want to Be White?', Asian Currents (April 2014), pp. 33-34. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/7084785/Does_Everyone_Just_Want_to_Be_White_A_critique_of_recent_de-racialisation_surgery_discourse_in_Australian_media_with_Jane_Park_University_of_Sydney_pp._33-34
Elfving-Hwang (2013), Joanna ‘Transnational Sport: Gender, Media, and Global Korea’ by Rachael Miyung Joo, Pacific Affairs 86(4), 930-93 (Book Review)
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2012), ‘Crisis of Gender and the Nation in Korean Literature and Cinema’ by Kelly Y. Jeong, Journal of Asian Studies, 71(4), 1160-62 (Book Review)
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2010), ‘Who Ate Up All the Shinga?’ by Park Wan-Suh, _List, Books from Korea, Vol. 7, p. 34. (Book Review)
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna (2008), ‘There Petal Silently Falls’ by Ch’oe Yun, Acta Koreana, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 261-265. (Book Review)
MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
“‘My heart still hurts’: The personal sacrifice of revealing a K-pop scandal“, BBC News, May 19, 2024: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-69020490.amp
“In South Korea thousands of young people have become recluses, shutting themselves away from society.” Interview by Sarah McLean, ABC New, 25 May, 2024: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-25/south-korea-recluses-shut-ins/103852712?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link
Elfving-Hwang, J. “Why is K-pop so Popular?” Curtin research podcast series, April 8, 2024 https://www.curtin.edu.au/news/advice/why-is-kpop-so-popular/
WA 커틴 대학교 한국학부 조안나 엘빙-황 교수 “한국인들, 각오가 남달라요 ”, SBS Korean, by Leah Hyein Nah (radio interview), April 20, 2023: https://www.sbs.com.au/language/korean/ko/podcast-episode/joanna-elfving-hwang-associate-professor-of-korean-society-and-culture-at-curtin-university/jjt6925rt
"엘프빙-황 호주 커틴대 한국학부 학장 “교육·공공외교로 韓·濠 관계 강화 기여 뿌듯” [차 한잔 나누며]", by 김선영 Segye Ilbo January 9, 2023: https://v.daum.net/v/20230108222722912
K-pop singer Youha: Uprising in Lollipop Land, by Joachim Hentsche, Suddeutsche Zeitung, December 27, 2022: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/youha-berlin-k-pop-1.5721211?reduced=true
‘10 Years since Gangnam Style‘, Afternoon Program, a live radio interview with Lyrella Couzins. ABC Radio Darwin, July 29, 2022.
‘What now after BTS are splitting?’ Afternoon Program, a live radio interview with Lyrella Couzins. ABC Radio Darwin, June 17, 2022.
“Many South Koreans are still wearing their masks even after the law mandating them was lifted,” by Waiyee Yip, The Insider, May 5, 2022: https://www.insider.com/south-koreans-still-wear-masks-after-outdoor-mask-mandate-lifts-2022-5
“Why some women are travelling to South Korea to find boyfriends”, by Minjoo Lee, The Independent, March 24, 2022: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/south-korea-boyfriends-travel-k-pop-drama-b2042839.html
“Why some women are travelling to South Korea to find boyfriends”, by Minjoo Lee, The Conversation, March 11, 2022: https://theconversation.com/why-some-women-are-traveling-to-south-korea-to-find-boyfriends-175905
“South Korean tattoo artists have built huge social-media followings with fans around the world. There's only one problem: Their work is illegal“, by Waiyee Yip, The Insider, March 8, 2022: https://www.insider.com/south-korean-tattoo-artists-working-illegally-for-art-2022-3
“Korea’s Incel President is Far from Alone”, by Eddie Kim, MEL Magazine, March 7, 2022 https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/yoon-suk-yeol-anti-feminism
How BTS is challenging ‘cutthroat’ K-pop culture by taking a break: the group is defying suffocating fan and industry expectations by prioritising their mental health, South China Morning Post, December 13, 2021, https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3159236/how-bts-challenging-cutthroat-k-pop-culture-taking-break
“BTS announces they're taking a break: How the group is changing 'cutthroat' K-pop culture“, by Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY, December 7, 2021, https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/12/07/bts-break-how-k-pop-can-change-after-past-star-suicides/8891630002/
“Korean Wave washes over Western Audiences”, The West Australian, November 6, 2021: https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/stm/korean-wave-washes-over-western-audiences-ng-b882052028z
“Squid Game’s ‘get rich quick’ theme has come to life in South Korea“, by Yvonne Lau, Fortune, October 16, 2021, https://fortune.com/2021/10/15/squid-game-netflix-south-korea-debt-gambling-crypto-retail-trading/
“Things you should need to know about Squid Game, to be Netflix’s most popular drama show of all time”, Rayisa Sayyad, Time Bulletin, October 4, 2021:://www.timebulletin.com/things-you-should-need-to-know-about-squid-game-to-be-netflixs-most-popular-drama-show-of-all-time/
“Squid Game is on track to become Netflix's most popular show ever. Here's what you need to know“, by max Walden, ABC News, September 30, 2021, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-30/what-is-squid-game-netflix-k-drama-explainer/100502544
“Korea’s semen terrorism is happening here, too,” by Eddie Kim, MEL Magazine, September 30, 2021, https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/semen-terrorism-sexual-violence
“South Korea's dangerous ghost doctors are putting plastic surgery patients' lives at risk”, by Yoonjung Seo and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN, April 15, 2021, https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/10/asia/south-korea-ghost-doctors-plastic-surgery-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
“Education Ministy's Proposal to "Man Up" Boys draws Severe Criticism“, by Xintian Wang, Pandaily April 10, 2021, https://pandaily.com/education-ministrys-proposal-to-man-up-boys-draws-severe-backlash/
(Live Radio Interview) “#Alive and Korean Zombie Movies”, Stop Everything! With Benjamin Law and Beverley Wang (Radio National, ABC), September 18, 2020: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/stop-everything/se-september-18/12669642
(Live Radio Interview) “How K-pop fans took down a significant Donald Trump rally”, The Hack (Triple j, ABC) (June 22, 2020): https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/hack/12362486
(Live Radio interview) “Where in the world is Kim Jong Un” 2SER Radio Interview, April, 28, 2020. https://2ser.com/where-in-the-world-is-kim-jong-un/
“South Korea charts Australia’s road out of lockdown” Crikey, by Kishor Napier Raman April 22, 2020: https://www.crikey.com.au/2020/04/22/south-korea-covid-19/
“K-pop muda padrows de comportamento e beleza na Coreia do sul e no mundo divulgando “masculinidade soft”” (in Portuguese, online news), Reverb (19th April 2020): https://reverb.com.br/artigo/k-pop-muda-padroes-de-comportamento-e-beleza-na-coreia-do-sul-e-no-mundo-divulgando-masculinidade-soft
“Crash Landing on You wins over Hong Kong, Taiwan fans by being more than the usual K-drama love story” South China Morning Post by Naomi Ng, March 8, 2020: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3074153/crash-landing-you-wins-over-hong-kong-taiwan-fans-being
(TV interview) “Mother 'reunited' with deceased daughter in virtual reality”, The World ABC News, interview with Yvonne Yang, January 12, 2020.
Why the past decade saw the rise and rise of East Asian pop culture,” CNN News, by Julia Hollingsworth, December 29, 2019: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/28/entertainment/east-asia-pop-culture-rise-intl-hnk/index.html
“Policy change needed following three K-pop deaths in three months, according to expert”, SBS Dateline by Jessica Higgins, December 6, 2019: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/policy-change-needed-following-three-k-pop-deaths-in-three-months-according-to-expert
“As BTS continues its global music domination, K-pop is sometimes misunderstood,“ ABC News November 24, 2019: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-24/the-australians-in-the-k-pop-musical-juggernaught/11708306
“Superstar Sulli's death sparks conversation about South Korea's high-pressure K-Pop industry,“ ABC News October 24, 2019: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-20/behind-death-of-k-pop-superstar-sulli-south-korea-culture/11616584
“The Pressure to Be Beautiful“, interview by Katharina Peters for Der Spiegel June 4, 2019 https://www.spiegel.de/international/globalsocieties/plastic-surgery-hugely-popular-in-south-korea-a-1270545.html
‘K-pop in the #Me-Too Era’, Radio interview with Beverly Wang and Benjamin Law, 29 March 2019: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/stop-everything/briggs-kpop-metoo-eggboy-get-krackn/10950454
‘East Asian Popular Culture Taking Australia by Storm’, Radio interview with Isobelle Starr, 22 February 2019: http://thewire.org.au/story/east-asian-popular-culture-taking-australia-by-storm/
‘"Schmink dich doch mal richtig!" Die Zeit, by Haeryun Kang, 22 January 2019: https://www.zeit.de/entdecken/2018-12/schoenheitsdruck-korea-seoul-k-beauty
‘Dragging K-pop onto the Global Stage’ Korea Times, 26 January 2019: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/02/722_262639.html
On Korean male beauty in Vietnamese new, Dantri, 5 September 2018s: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/the-he-dan-ong-nghien-trang-diem-o-han-quoc-20180905122643685.htm
‘La tendencia de los "flower boys", los jóvenes que se maquillan para parecerse a estrellas de K-pop‘, Tele13 Radio (Chile), September 5, 2018: http://www.t13.cl/noticia/tendencias/bbc/la-tendencia-de-los-flower-boys-los-jovenes-que-se-maquillan-para-parecerse-a-estrellas-de-kpop
‘Flowerboys and the Appeal of Soft Masculinity in South Korea’, BBC News, September 5,2018: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42499809
‘英国教授正在研究：为什么当代男性越来越注重外表’, Zjnews (Chinese online news) April 10, 2018: http://zjnews.zjol.com.cn/zjnews/zjxw/201804/t20180410_6989104.shtml
‘Idolizing K-pop: What are we glazing over?’, 2ser 107.3 radio station, an interview with Sam Baran, April 5, 2018: https://2ser.com/idolizing-kpop-glazing/
‘Male Makeup: the Trend Changing the Meaning of Masculinity’, by Ernst Spencer, Eye Witness News, March 23, 2018: http://www.wfsb.com/story/37790072/male-makeup-the-trend-changing-the-meaning-of-masculinity
‘你怎么看待男人化妆这件事？‘, Sohu.com (Chinese online news), March 18, 2018: http://www.sohu.com/a/225786615_220024
‘Makeup is changing the meaning of masculinity’, by Vivien Jones, CNN News, March 16, 2018: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/14/health/makeup-skincare-male-masculinity-intl/index.html
Expert Guest on K-pop and Korean Male Beauty ABC Radio National talk show ‘Stop everything!’ February 16, 2018: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/stop-everything/stop-everything-16-feb/9450560
En Coree du Sud, les Femmes n’ont pas d’autre hoix que d’etre belles, by Diane Jean, The Cheek Magazine, February 27, 2018. http://cheekmagazine.fr/societe/coree-du-sud-injonctions-beaute-femmes/
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