Kritika Kultura 

About: Kritika Kultura is an academic journal published by PhilJOL. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Politics & Political theatre. It has an ISSN identifier of 1656-152X. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 349 publications have been published receiving 1004 citations. The journal is also known as: Kritika kultura (Online).

Responding to Student Writing

Abstract: This paper examines written teacher feedback on selected student papers in an attempt to analyze underlying attitudes embedded in the response episodes. In the past, writing theories have emphasized writing as a fixed and linear process of transferring thoughts on paper. As a consequence, teacher feedback reflected these pedagogical principles by treating texts as fixed and finished products. Today, despite the dawn of more process-oriented theories, teacher feedback remains largely product- and form-oriented. While there is a genuine attempt to communicate effectively with the students, such communication is usually hindered by vague, opinionated and negative comments that obstruct student-teacher relationships. In the end, this paper underscores the need for greater self-reflection in order to address the question, “Why do we give the kind of responses that we give, for whose purpose and for what intention?”

On Vagina Monologues

Abstract: About the Author Delia D. Aguilar teaches Women’s Studies and Comparative American Cultures. She has had a long-standing interest in the development of women’s movements and feminism, particularly in peripheral formations, and their interaction with feminist theoretical production in the metropolis. She firmly believes with Deniz Kandiyoti that feminism is not autonomous, but always bound to the national context that produces it.

The Fandom of Hallyu, A Tribe in the Digital Network Era: The Case of ARMY of BTS

Abstract: Hallyu, the Korean Wave, has entered another stage with the emergence and dramatic success of BTS, a seven-member South Korean boy band, and its uniquely engaged fandom. The band’s fan club, ARMY of BTS, through their social media presence and other internet activities, is a significant factor in the band’s success. Unlike traditional fandom, ARMY has built a huge base of support by championing the message that everyone must find their own personal taste and voice, demonstrating in the process the tribal power of global fandom as a far-reaching cultural phenomenon that exceeds the scope of traditional fan clubs. Adopting a grounded theory approach through our ethnographic research, we identified four primary dimensions of this emerging fandom: (1) digital intimacy, (2) non-social sociality, (3) transnational locality, and (4) organizing without an organization. We found that, in conjunction with Maffesoli’s concept of the “tribe,” these four dimensions help us to understand how the relationship between BTS and ARMY transforms the private realm of the tastes and desires of their fans into cultural, political, and economic expression in the public realm. Thus, this global fandom, the tribe in the digital era, potentiated by the internet and the new forms of sociality created by social media, is effecting tectonic sociocultural change on a global scale.

Webtoon as a New Korean Wave in the Process of Glocalization

Abstract: With the development of Web 2.0, the online publication of Korean cartoons has increased substantially. The webtoon is a new genre of publishing Korean comics (manhwa) online, and is considered a unique case in the global cartoon market. The increase of Internet users and digital cultural consumption has established conditions for fostering the platform for webtoons and their production. In addition, the popularity of Korean dramas and K-pop has cultivated the spread of webtoons in the countries receiving dramas and K-pop. This study discusses the characteristics of Korean webtoons and their development using the concept of “glocal culture.” The glocalization of Korean cultural contents is the combined result of local socio-cultural characteristics of Korea, the hybridization of global and local features, and the transnational consumption of the Korean cultural contents. Such glocalizing dynamics can be seen in the process of the consumption and creation of new forms of pop culture in the countries receiving Korean Wave products. The paper argues that webtoons should also be understood as an exemplary glocalization of Korean culture, representing the social and cultural characteristics of Korea, while also having an impact on foreign comics industries in the age of digitalization. In addition, the glocalization process of Korean webtoons promotes cultural communications establishing a global webtoon fandom.

Wrestling with or Embracing Digitization in the Music Industry: The Contrasting Business Strategies of J-pop and K-pop

Abstract: Digitization has significantly changed the process for producing and consuming music: from analogue to digital, albums to songs, possess to access, audio to visual, and end products to promotional products. In this globalized digital era, actively embracing digitization would likely help enhance the competitiveness of the music industry. The rise of K-pop and the decline of J-pop clearly demonstrate the different results from whether to embrace or wrestle with digitization. The Korean music industry recognized changes brought on by digitization earlier and was more active in responding with effective strategies. By contrast, the Japanese music industry did not immediately respond to these changes but stuck to its rent-seeking behavior in order to take advantage of its larger market size and “sophisticated” copyright regime. The implications from this paper is that business activities are the core element for creating and enhancing competitiveness of the music industries.