Ji-Hyun Ahn

Ji-Hyun Ahn is an Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Washington Tacoma, where she is affiliated with the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and the Global Honors program. She specializes in media globalization, Korean television and popular culture, Asian multiculturalism, and critical mixed-race studies. Her research examines how media practices facilitate the re-imagination of national identity from global perspectives.

Dr. Ahn received her educational training from prestigious institutions across two continents:

• Ph.D. in Media Studies from University of Texas at Austin (2013)
• M.A. in Visual Communication from Yonsei University (2007)
• B.A. in British & American Culture from Sogang University (2005, Summa Cum Laude)

Her research interests focus on three interconnected agendas: race and nation in South Korean media, anti-Korean sentiment in postcolonial East Asia, and transnational K-culture. She approaches race as a fundamental principle shaping global social order, particularly examining how racial globalization interacts with transnational media flows in East Asia. Her work bridges media/cultural studies with critical race studies to situate Korean media racialization within global contexts.

Dr. Ahn's publications reveal a consistent trajectory examining racial politics in East Asian media, with increasing attention to transnational dynamics of anti-Korean sentiment. Her work spans book publications, journal articles in top communication and cultural studies journals, and book chapters addressing mixed-race politics, multiculturalism, and regional tensions in East Asia.

Her significant scholarly recognition includes:

• Distinguished Speaker of Korean Studies (2020-2023) for the Northeast Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies
• Multiple Top Paper Awards for her research
• Royalty Research Fund grant (2016-2017) from the University of Washington
• Academy of Korean Studies grant (2017-2018)

Beyond research, Dr. Ahn is dedicated to building globally-engaged learning environments. As an affiliated faculty in the Global Honors program and member of the Honors Executive Committee of the Institute for Innovation & Global Engagement, she develops globally focused curricula. She previously served as a visiting professor at Yonsei University and continues to foster scholarly communities of Asian Studies in North America through her distinguished speaker engagements.