Josh Kun

Josh Kun is Vice Provost for the Arts at USC and Professor/Chair of Cross-Cultural Communication at the USC Annenberg School. His work bridges cultural history, musicology, and public humanities, with a focus on Los Angeles' multicultural dynamics, migration narratives, and sonic archives. He leads initiatives like the Norman Lear Center's Popular Music Project and co-curates the CALA Crossfade Lab. Awards include the MacArthur Fellowship (2016) and Berlin Prize (2018).

• Affiliations: Norman Lear Center, Institute for Difference and Empowerment in the Arts, Annenberg Innovation Lab
• Key Projects: LAPL archives trilogy, Grammy Museum collaborations, Tijuana Dreaming research, and sound art installations

Research emphasizes archives as living cultural artifacts, exploring how music and sound shape urban identity. Recent work includes analyzing Mexican-American music soundtracks and curating exhibitions on Los Angeles' collective memory. His writings appear in top journals and publications like The New Yorker and Los Angeles Times.