The Grand Narrative
@thegrandnarrative
Freelance writer & independent scholar on feminism and sexuality in South Korea.
Am doing major overhauls of my "Introduction to Korean Gender Issues" and "Sociology through Science Fiction" courses for next semester. Gotta retain these fundamental course components in both though...🤔
Among the many things to LOVE in the latest episode of "Strange New Worlds," for me the biggest is having an all-female away team, presented like it's completely routine, and who barely talk about men at all. In hindsight, this SF fan of 40+ yrs CAN'T BELIEVE it's been so long a wait to see this!
Hey everyone, I saw "Columbus" last night. I can't emphasize enough how much this film meant to me. I'm suddenly realizing John Cho's range, & am especially struck at what Haley Lu Richardson brought to her role, despite being only 19 at the time. The supporting cast are all favorite actors too. 1/
Thinking maybe I should add this to my Bumble profile...🤔 Via: www.instagram.com/the.forbidde...
It Seems I'm Growing Obsessed with Learning Why #MeToo Made Such Strides in Korea, but Failed in Japan. Sorry not Sorry! Study shows access to accurate information alone, is insufficient to persuade public to act on sexism thegrandnarrative.com/2026/05/18/k...
"Chinese Woman Mirror Gazing," by Mo Nong Source: nobrashfestivity.tumblr.com/post/8165439...
Apparently, Koreans *Like* to Have Sex Now? thegrandnarrative.com/2026/05/08/k...
Me: "Huh. She looks *really* familiar...Oh yeah—she was in that cosmetic surgery ad I used in my body image lecture in March." 🤓 Also me: "Hmmmm....maybe I need to get out more. Put my phone down? Smell the roses? See a friend?" 🤔
Book Talk: “The Narrowing Sea: Fukuoka, Pusan, and the Rise and Fall of an Imperial Region” (2025) by Dr. Hannah Shepherd, 9am Tuesday May 5 (KST) thegrandnarrative.com/2026/05/04/t...
At the tender age of 50, someone finally just bought a flower for me, for the first time in my entire life 😊 IT'S A PITY THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE WAS A STUDENT FAILING MY CLASS. But still! 🤷♂️
Hopefully some of my students might actually look up from their phones tomorrow 🤔
As a huge book reader and owner, I'm often struck by how *little* I post about them on social media. Time to change that! I'm really enjoying this one, "Career and Family" by Claufia Goldin (2021), at the moment, and can't in good conscience *not* edit some of my PPTs for my "Intro to Korean.../1
New show tests ethical limits of Korean divorce reality television www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainmen... As a divorcee, I appreciate how some shows have try to challenge stigmas and taboos, which remain shockingly strong in Korea—I regularly encounter 30 and 40+ women on dating apps who refuse...1/
FINALLY, the algorithm provides an ad that's relevant to me... 🤔😆
A new Kawakami book coming out in March?! SQUEEEE~ x.com/i/status/202...
"So James, after a 10-month break, you thought *this* would make a good subject for a comeback post?" "No, I thought it would make a GREAT subject for a comeback post! What's your point?" thegrandnarrative.com/2026/02/11/a...
So grateful to have some reading I can do while my students do their tests 😌
This bottom paragraph reminds me of similar points being made about yangban women during the Korean War. That despite eveything, many remembered it as being the time of their lives, as it was the first time in years they'd stepped beyond their front doors. 1/
Boning up for my lecture tomorrow 🤔 thegrandnarrative.com/2021/03/15/k...
Just HAD TO buy this once I saw that title 🤓 Alas, the "변태" actually meant "metamorphosis," not...🥺
...I think it went well. And everyone LOVED the "I am a woman who buys condoms" video especially 😆 (AND RIGHTLY SO! 😤) 2/2 thegrandnarrative.com/2018/09/20/i...
Yes, it's a dirty job. And yes, strictly speaking, the 송혜교 ad wasn't all *that* necessary... But *someone* had to teach these damn kids. So, I was determined to make this potentially awkward subject as lighthearted and fun as possible. Especially for me! 😍 But seriously though...1/
소...my apartment is at the far end of my floor's hallway—many people posting fliers just don't bother with my door. Or if they do, they just half-ass it, or post things on the 소화전 cover next to it. OR... 🤗
Beginning to get the hang of this professoring thing...🤓 With the last, during the group work on giving their thoughts and feelings about school uniform rules, many students struggled to express themselves in English. So I relented and suggested they use translation programs. 1/