Abstract
This thesis examines what is widely known as the ‘Korean Wave’ in Vietnam. It concentrates on the latest stage of the Wave that is characterised by the rise of fan culture, the global success of Korean popular music and the significant role of social media. It investigates the Wave as symptomatic of cultural globalisation and sheds light on the underlying dynamics of the Wave. I adopt a ‘hybrid’ approach in terms of theoretical framework, as I find it useful to probe the complexity of the phenomenon. Of particular importance is my use of theories of affect, feeling and emotion to examine the distinctive ways through which Korean television drama (K- Drama) and popular music (K-Pop) appeal to Vietnamese fans and give rise to local hybrid cultural forms in the country. The vocabulary of these theories allows me to investigate how the Korean Wave, through its associated system of mass and social media platforms and entertainment industries, impacts both individually and collectively on the intimate sphere of consumers. Hence, I reflect on the cultural dynamism that the Wave brings about in contemporary Vietnam.Taking a multidimensional approach, this thesis highlights the interplay between different factors that constitute the Korean Wave: fandom, social media, industry practices and local peculiarities. At the same time, it takes temporal, spatial and corporeal dimensions of the phenomenon into account. Moreover, the thesis presents timely research that captures the moment when the Korean Wave, with the worldwide success of K-Pop, has shifted from a subculture to a mainstream global phenomenon. Therefore, it makes an innovative, useful contribution to research ranging across a number of academic fields such as cultural studies, media studies, fan studies and cultural anthropology.
| Date of Thesis submission | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Ien Ang (Supervisor), David Rowe (Supervisor) & Anna Cristina Pertierra (Supervisor) |
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