Dr. Fouser leads a fascinating and eye-opening exploration into the ideology, values, and activism of Korean students in the 1980s. He discusses and demonstrates the agency of that generation when contrasted to the people of today. He talks about 사대문안 as the traditional center of Seoul and how it's changing over time, with things moving south of the river as well as emerging migrant communities. The Korean language and Dr. Fouser’s experiences of writing 5 books in Korean and regular Korean-language columns for various national newspapers are also explored. Robert J. Fouser was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He holds a B.A. in Japanese language and literature, an M.A. in applied linguistics, both from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from Trinity College Dublin. He writes frequently on Korean society and culture and has been active in promoting hanok preservation.

Conversation Outline

0:00 Generations in Korea

6:40 Was the 386 Generation Leftist/Marxist?

28:50 Post-Democratization Korea

38:16 Modern Korea

1:04:10 The City of Seoul: 사대문안

1:28:28 The Korean Language

1:54:28 Does Han exist?

1:58:28 The Future of Korea: Resistance and Change

2:16:55 Lessons from life

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

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Korean Generations with Dr. Robert J. Fouser