New Books in East Asian Studies

Timothy Gitzen, "Banal Security: Queer Korea in the Time of Viruses" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

Dec 13, 2024

In this engaging discussion, Timothy Gitzen, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Wake Forest University, unpacks the themes of his new book, exploring how queer Koreans are perceived as threats within the context of national security and public health. He shares striking insights about the normalization of security routines in everyday life. Gitzen also reflects on the intersection of queer activism and military life in South Korea, addressing how societal fears and discrimination shape the experiences of queer individuals amid the ongoing influence of the pandemic.

58:00

Episode guests

Timothy Gitzen

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Quick takeaways

The concept of banal security in South Korea highlights how state narratives frame queer individuals as threats to national integrity and public health.

Everyday moments of queer Koreans, such as music listening, reveal emotional resilience amidst the heightened anxieties surrounding national security and vulnerability.

Deep dives

Banal Security in South Korea

The concept of banal security in South Korea emerges from the long-standing threat of North Korea that has woven itself into daily life, becoming almost mundane. This reality leads to the perception of queer Koreans as threats to national security, associated with ideas of family and public health. The author illustrates how the state's framing of security issues has established this perception and how queer individuals navigate this perilous landscape, often being treated as viral disruptors to social order. Through ethnographic research, the book reveals various contexts, such as police interactions and community events, showcasing the intertwining of security discourse with queer experiences.

Intro

3min

Reflections on Queer Studies and Security

4min

Queer Activism and National Security in South Korea

9min

Exploring National Security and Citizen Surveillance in South Korea

4min

Queer Connections in Military Life and Activism

14min

Navigating Safety and Belonging in Queer Korea

3min

Nationalism, Identity, and Queer Experiences in South Korea

19min

For more than 70 years, South Korea has woven the threat of North Korea into daily life. But now that threat has become mundane, and South Korean national security addresses family, public health, and national unity. Banal Security: Queer Korea in the Time of Viruses (Helsinki University Press, 2023) illustrates how as a result, queer Koreans are seen to represent a viral threat to national security. Taking readers from police stations and the Constitutional Court to queer activist offices and pride festivals, Timothy Gitzen shows how security weaves through daily life and diffuses the queer threat, in a context where queer Koreans are treated as viral carriers, disruptions to public order, and threats to family and culture.

Timothy Gitzen is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Wake Forest University.

Qing Shen recently obtained his PhD in anthropology from Uppsala University, Sweden.

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New Books in East Asian Studies

Timothy Gitzen, "Banal Security: Queer Korea in the Time of Viruses" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Banal Security in South Korea

Everyday Experiences of Queerness

Queer Individuals and the State

Intersection of HIV and Islamophobia

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts