Eleana Kim

Eleana Kim is a Professor of Anthropology and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Anthropology and School of Social Sciences. Her work bridges cultural anthropology with environmental studies, focusing on kinship, human/non-human ecologies, migration, and sensory experiences in contemporary South Korea.

Education: M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University (with a Certificate in Culture and Media), followed by a Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA. Previously taught at the University of Rochester (2007–2014).

Research interests include transnational adoption, DMZ ecologies, olfactory experience, and the intersections of nature/culture. Her award-winning books include Adopted Territory (2010) and Making Peace with Nature (2022), both honored with the James B. Palais Prize in Korean Studies. She co-edited Forces of Nature (2023).

Awards: Association of Asian American Studies Social Science Book Award (2010), multiple James B. Palais Prizes. Professional roles include past president of the Society for Cultural Anthropology and current Director of Graduate Admissions in UCI Anthropology.