Timothy Tangherlini

Timothy Tangherlini is a Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), affiliated with the Department of Asian Languages & Cultures. His research spans Korea, East Asia, and broader cultural studies, with a focus on folklore, Korean American identity, and urban ethnography.

• Education:
  • A.B. from Harvard University (1985)
  • M.A. from University of California, Berkeley (1986)
  • Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley (1992)

His scholarly work explores the intersection of folklore, trauma, and cultural negotiation, particularly in Korean diasporic communities. He has contributed to interdisciplinary pedagogy and methodology in folklore studies, emphasizing the role of narrative and tradition in shaping urban identities.

Key themes in his publications include: supernatural elements in media (e.g., Lars von Trier's Riget), folklore as a tool for Korean American identity construction, and the impact of historical events like the Los Angeles Riots on community narratives. Specific subfields span shamanistic rituals, urban spatial studies, and ethnographic research strategies.

Selected Works:

• Books: Nationalism and the Construction of Korean Identity, Talking Trauma: Paramedics and Their Stories, and Interpreting Legend: Danish Storytellers and Their Repertoires.
• Documentary films: Talking Trauma: Storytelling Among Paramedics and Our Nation: A Korean Punk Rock Community.

He teaches courses on Korean folklore and popular/ folk religion at UCLA, integrating interdisciplinary approaches to folklore, trauma, and cultural analysis.