On 5 October at 14:15 Eleni Alexandri will defend her doctoral thesis “The Phenomenon of K-Pop: A Place of Reality and Fiction” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Semiotics and Culture Studies).
Supervisors:
Professor Maarja Ojamaa, University of Tartu
Research Fellow Nelly Mäekivi, University of Tartu
Opponent:
Associate Professor Hyeong Yeon Jeon, Mokpo National University (South Korea)
Summary
This dissertation is a transdisciplinary, theory-driven, exploratory study that investigates the global phenomenon of K-pop from a semiotic perspective. It addresses the following primary research question: How does K-pop produce, organise, and mediate culture, and how are identities formed, negotiated, constrained, and experienced within the space of K-pop?
This central question led to further, more specific investigations, which are explored in the four publications comprising this article-based dissertation, as well as in its introductory chapter. The conceptual framework draws significantly on Guy Debord’s notion of the spectacle, integrating it with theories of identity development and space to provide a comprehensive explanation of K-pop as both a cultural phenomenon and an industry, with particular attention to its spatial dimensions. The findings are presented through a triptych model of impact, which outlines the industry’s influence on national identity at the macro level, social and collective identity at the meso level, and personal identity at the micro level. Furthermore, the dissertation introduces what is termed the topology of K-pop and expands on the different analytical models of spatiality identified through the research. A key conclusion is the analytical distinction between K-pop as a cultural phenomenon that maintains continuity with the Korean sociocultural context and K-pop as an industry that functions as a system of spectacle, constraining and curating the broader cultural and semiotic field without obliterating it.
This work is distinguished by its semiotic synthesis and theoretical approach, the formulation of theories inspired by the research topic and tailored to the analysis of K-pop, the application of the spectacle as a central theoretical component, and its transdisciplinary nature. In this way, the dissertation addresses a gap in the literature on K-pop and is expected to facilitate future research.
The defence can also be followed via Zoom (Meeting ID: 992 5765 8214; passcode: 786241).
