Dr Sejin Pak

Biography/ Background

Sejin Pak has a very mixed cultural and academic background. Born in Korea, following his parents, migrated to Brazil and then to Canada. In this process, his high school education was carried out in three languages: Korean, Portuguese, and English. For seven years, he thought he was becoming a physicist. During his doctoral program in physics, he was lead to study contemporary Asia. He chose to do PhD in sociology in the USA with an area focus on Japan. This led him to learn Japanese, and work, live, and do research in Japan for four year. His job searches led him to Australia about which he knew nothing at the time.

Qualifications

B.Sc (Physics, Toronto), M.Sc (Physics, McMaster), Ph.D (Sociology, Harvard)

Teaching Interests

CURRENT COURSES:

• Introduction to Japanese Society and Culture;
• Contemporary Japan: Culture and Identities;
• East Asian Economies;
• Honours Theory and Methodology.

COURSES TAUGHT:

• Asian Studies Core;
• The Rise of Industrial East Asia [Political Economy of East Asia];
• Japan: Work and Organisation [Industrial Sociology of Japan];
• America, Asia and the Cold War [the Korea Part].

FUTURE COURSES:

• Introduction to Korean Society and Culture.

Research Interests

Politics of Identity in Japan and Korea

• Grassroots right wing movements in Japan
• Korean Christians
• Ideological conflicts in South Korea

Pan-Asianism and the history of Japan-Korea relations

• Pan-Asian dreams: Past and Future

Ethnic issues in Japan [Ethnic Koreans and Okinawans]

Political Economy of East Asia

• Sociological approach to Japanese economy
• Labour Issues in Japan and Korea
• The role of IT and culture industries

Spiritual/alternative community movements in Japan and Korea

Publications

Pak, S. "Globalisation and small and medium enterprises in contemporary Japan", in New Development of Small Business Theory - Industrial Society of Symbiosis (English title, article and book in Japanese), Tanaka, M, & Sadake, T. (eds), Ueda, T. (supervision), 2000, Tokyo: Hassendai, pp. 131-150

Pak, S. The Human Resources Development Policy in Australia, pp. 109-136, Chapter 3, in Chang, YC, et al, The Policy Direction for Revitalisation of the Development of Human Resources: A Five Countries Study, 2005, School of Management, Kyeong Hee University, Seoul, Korea. [220 pages in total]

Conference Papers

Pak, S. Protestantism and Politics (1) - The Progressive Christian Activism in Crisis in the Democratic Era, The Proceedings and Abstracts of the 4th KSAA Conference, University of Auckland, 2005

Pak, S. Protestantism and Politics (2) - The Conservative Christian Churches in Crisis in the Democratic Era, The Proceedings and Abstracts of the 4th KSAA Conference, University of Auckland, 2005.

Pak, S. Overcoming the division: the civil society discourses and actions on the division and unification in South Korea, Association of Asian Studies Conference, 2006.

Pak, S. Civil society and Foreign Policy: Analysing the Political Success of Sukuukai, Association of Asian Studies Conference, 2006.

Book Review:

Pak, S. Book review of Escape from Work - Freelancing Youth and the Challenge to Corporate Japan By Reiko Kosugi, Translated by Ross Mouer (Melbourne: Transpacific Press, 2008), to be published in Japanese Studies (forthcoming)

Entry last updated: Tuesday, 26 May 2009