معرفی
Joowon Park is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Anthropology Department at Skidmore College, where he also directs the Asian Studies Program. His research and teaching integrate political anthropology, migration studies, and Korean studies, with particular attention to violence, refugee resettlement, and humanitarian governance.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Anthropology, American University
- M.A. in Anthropology, American University
- B.A., DePauw University
Research Interests:
Park’s scholarship centers on the intersections of violence, migration, and state power. He examines how North Korean migrants navigate resettlement in South Korea and beyond, highlighting the gendered, classed, and racialized dimensions of humanitarian intervention. His ethnographic work reveals the invisible forms of violence embedded in resettlement policies, family reunions, and transnational kinship practices.
Publication Trends:
Across his peer-reviewed articles and 2022 monograph Belonging in a House Divided, Park consistently foregrounds ethnographic accounts of North Korean defectors to critique both state and humanitarian regimes. Sub-themes include transnational mothering, remittance economies, and the politics of reconciliation in divided Korea.
Grants & Awards:
- ASIANetwork Freeman Student-Faculty Fellowship Grant (2023)
- AAS Northeast Asia Council Research Travel Grant (2019)
- NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (2013)
- Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant (2013)
- Social Science Research Council Korean Studies Dissertation Workshop Fellow (2014)
- Explorers Club Washington Group Exploration and Field Research Grant (2012)
- Robyn Rafferty Mathias Grant for International Research (2011, 2012)
Teaching & Advising:
Park offers courses ranging from introductory cultural anthropology to specialized seminars on power and violence, migration and diaspora, and Korean popular culture. His classes are cross-listed with Asian Studies and International Affairs, reflecting his interdisciplinary orientation. While specific student names are not provided, he mentors majors through Skidmore’s honors program and supervises collaborative research funded by external grants.
Labs & Institutional Service:
As Department Chair he oversees curriculum development, faculty searches, and the Skidmore Archaeological Collection. He coordinates the Asian Studies Program’s events and curriculum, fostering campus-wide engagement with East Asian scholarship.
