Dongkyu Yeom

I’m studying the left-wing intellectual history from 1980’s to contemporary Korea in light of its connection to what Vijay Prashad calls the Third World project and global intellectual history of political economy. It has been commonly argued that South Korea has become a neoliberal society in which there is nothing left but the naturalized sense of competition between individuals without humane solidarity. Although many arguments have been made regarding how neoliberalism as a system works in South Korean politics and culture, there have not been many historical and comparative analyses of it. In this regard, my research pursues two objectives. First, referring to the recent scholarship on the historical formation of neoliberalism, I want to emphasize the historicity of neoliberalism, thereby showing the possibility to overcome it. Second, connecting the global history of political economy with the Third World project and South Korean left-wing intellectual history, I want to build up a framework in which South Korean left-wing intellectual history can become a source of inspiration for the contemporary social activism both from within and without South Korea.

Research Interests

• Modern Korea
• Intellectual History of Political Economy
• Marxism
• Postcolonial Theories
• The Third World Movement.