Esther Kim Lee

Esther Kim Lee is the Frances Hill Fox Professor of Theater Studies, Professor of History, and Professor of International Comparative Studies at Duke University. She also serves as Chair of the Theater Studies Department and Director of Asian American and Diaspora Studies. Her research focuses on Asian American theatre, Korean diaspora performance, interculturalism, and the historical analysis of yellowface. Lee holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University (2000) and previously taught at the University of Maryland, College Park (2013-2018).

Her major works include A History of Asian American Theatre (2006), Seven Contemporary Plays from the Korean Diaspora in the Americas (2012), and Made-Up Asians: Yellowface During the Exclusion Era (2022), which won multiple awards. She has also edited multi-volume collections challenging Eurocentric theatre narratives.

Lee’s awards include the 2023 ASTR Distinguished Scholar Award and the Barnard Hewitt Award. She teaches courses on Asian American theatre, global performance studies, and Korea’s cultural influence. Her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary issues of race, identity, and transnationalism in performance.