SMLC Seminar
Collecting social credit: Pop culture’s impact on cultural capital

Dr. Roald Maliangkay

Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Venue: CPD-2.16, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus.

Although academic discussions of the notion of social and cultural capital may be only a few decades old, people have long been aware of the various elements that comprise the two forms of capital. In the past few decades, however, popular culture has changed the composition of both social and cultural capital, and the way in which people collect it. Although certain aspects remain resistant to change, the Internet and SNS allow us to make our decisions, purchases and experiences instantly prominent to a very wide audience of people we choose as our audience. In my talk I shall deliberate the distinction between social and cultural capital, and analyse how popular culture has affected these. Drawing examples mostly from East Asian pop culture, I will discuss how these days music collections, travel, good looks, vinyl toys, and political activism affect people’s social and cultural capital, sometimes in ways very different from a few decades ago.

Roald Maliangkay is Senior Lecturer in Korean studies at the Australian National University. After completing his PhD on folksong preservation in South Korea (SOAS, London), Maliangkay has expanded the scope of his research to include popular culture in myriad forms. He is interested in the mechanics of cultural policy and the dynamics of major cultural phenomena from the early twentieth century to the present. Recent publications include `The Power of Representation: Korean Movie Narrators and Authority', Journal of Korean Studies (2011), and `Koreans Performing for Foreign Troops: The Occidentalism of the C.M.C. and K.P.K.’, East Asian History (2011).

All are welcome. No registration is required.