This lecture introduces a new comparative research project, Insights into Pop Culture Hybridity in East Asia and the Asia Pacific, which examines how people perceive hybrid or collaborative forms of Japanese and Korean popular culture across different cultural contexts. Focusing on collaborations between artists, characters, brands, and cultural products encountered through media, retail, and tourism, the project explores how these forms are interpreted by local residents and tourists, and how they shape cultural attitudes, consumer behaviour, and tourism experiences.
The lecture will begin by considering the broader historical and cultural context of popular cultural exchange in East Asia, with particular attention to Japan–Korea cultural flows and their contemporary visibility in global media and consumer culture. It will then outline the aims and methodology of the project, including survey and interview research currently being conducted across Australia and Japan. Finally, it will present initial findings from the Australian phase of the study and reflect on what they suggest about East Asian cultural hybridity, regional identity, and the place of popular culture in connecting East Asia and Australia.
Dr Adam Zulawnik is Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Korean Studies at the Asia Institute, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne. His research focuses on Korean language, popular culture, cultural translation, and transnational cultural exchange in East Asia. His recent work with Professor Sungmin KIM (HokkaidoU) explores cross-cultural flows between Japan and South Korea, particularly the ways in which hybrid cultural products are produced, circulated, and received across different national contexts. He is currently leading a comparative research project examining sentiments and perceptions of East Asian pop culture hybridity in Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
Date & Time
Thursday, 25 June 2026, 14:45-16:15
Venue
Room 307
