Cultural Hybridity in the Contemporary Korean Popular Culture Through the Practice of Genre Transformation
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 6-28-2018 2:30 PM Cultural Hybridity in the Contemporary Korean Popular Culture through the Practice of Genre Transformation Kyunghee Kim The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Blackmore, Tim The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Kyunghee Kim 2018 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kim, Kyunghee, "Cultural Hybridity in the Contemporary Korean Popular Culture through the Practice of Genre Transformation" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5472. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5472 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract The focus of this dissertation is to show how the media of contemporary Korean popular culture, specifically films, are transformed into “hybrid cultural forms” through the practice of genre transformation. Since the early 21st century, South Korean popular culture has been increasingly spreading across the globe. Despite its growing attention and popularity, Korean pop culture has been criticized for its explicit copying of Western culture with no unique cultural identity. Others view the success of Korean media, both its creative mimicry and its critique of the West, as a new hybrid form that offers the opportunity for reassertion of local identity as well as challenging the global hegemony of the West. Chapter 1 explains the focus of my study and objectives, research questions, methods, background, and the historical development of Korean popular culture. Chapter 2 provides a literature review of the major scholarly works that characterize contemporary Korean film. Chapter 3 considers how I approach Korean films from the perspective of theories of cultural hybridity and film genre, introducing the work of Homi Bhabha, Rick Altman, Thomas Schatz, John Cawelti and other scholars. The two chapters that follow analyze the case studies of two genre films—the Korean Western, The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) and the post-apocalyptic sci-fi action film, Snowpiercer (2013)—to elucidate how these films function as a “hybrid cultural form,” and how the practice of genre transformation has a role in unsettling and changing the cultural messages and codes of the dominant culture’s forms. This dissertation argues that cultural hybridization is a key survival strategy of the contemporary Korean media production commercially, aesthetically and culturally. The practice of genre transformation plays a decisive role in creating cultural hybrid texts, which contribute not only to increasing cultural exchange and dissemination but also to the artistic development of cultural expression and, more importantly, to enhancing cultural diversity in an age of global transnationalism. Keywords Contemporary Korean Popular Culture; South Korean Film; Cultural Hybridity; Genre Transformation; Western Genre; Spaghetti Western; Manchurian Western; Kimchi Western: The Good, the Bad, the Weird; Post-apocalyptic Genre; Snowpiercer. ii Dedication To my late mother... iii Acknowledgments This study was completed with the assistance of the faculty, staff, and many fellow doctoral students who made my time in Media Studies at Western a great experience. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Professor Tim Blackmore, for his intellectual generosity and steadfast support. This dissertation would not have been possible without his unparalleled patience and dedication. His questions, comments, discussions, and encouragement at every stage were extremely important motivations in completing this project. I will be forever grateful for his wise and true mentorship throughout the writing of this dissertation. My sincere thanks also go to Professor Carole Farber for her careful readings, insights, and invaluable comments. Her research methodology course was immensely helpful, which allowed me to write efficiently. I also thank Professor Michael Raine for providing film studies expertise and constructive feedback. I would like to express my special thanks to my thesis examiners, Carole Farber, Susan Knabe, Allan Pero, and Dale Bradley for a productive defense, valuable comments, and suggestions. Finally, I wish to thank my family: my husband, Dr. Sungwhan Cho and my wonderful son and daughter, Seyong and Serin for being warmest supporters throughout the process of writing this dissertation. iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Thesis Statement and Purpose ................................................................................. 1 1.2. Research Questions ................................................................................................. 4 1.3. Research Methodology............................................................................................ 5 1.4. Background ............................................................................................................. 6 1.5. The Historical Development of Korean Popular Culture ...................................... 12 1.6. Chapter Organization ............................................................................................ 18 Chapter 2 ........................................................................................................................... 21 The New Wave ................................................................................................................ 21 2.1. A Creative Move toward Global Vernacular ........................................................ 21 Chapter 3 ........................................................................................................................... 39 Theoretical Frameworks .................................................................................................. 39 3.1. Cultural Hybridity ................................................................................................. 39 3.2. Theory of Film Genre............................................................................................ 43 3.2.1. Genre Film .................................................................................................. 44 3.2.2. Definition of Film Genre ............................................................................ 45 3.2.3. Functions of Genre ...................................................................................... 48 3.2.4. Analytic Approach to Film Genre............................................................... 51 3.2.5. Genre Transformation ................................................................................. 52 3.2.6. Genre Bending and Genre Breaking ........................................................... 54 3.2.7. Genre and Cultural Differences .................................................................. 56 Chapter 4 ........................................................................................................................... 58 Case Study 1: The Good, the Bad, the Weird .................................................................. 58 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 58 4.2. Exploration of Western Genre .............................................................................. 61 4.2.1. Hollywood Western .................................................................................... 62 4.2.2. Italian Western ............................................................................................ 70 4.2.3. Manchurian Western ................................................................................... 74 4.3. Conventionality of Genre ...................................................................................... 79 4.3.1. Iconography ................................................................................................ 80 4.3.2. Three Lead Conventional Characters .......................................................... 83 4.3.3. Conventional Plot.......................................................................................