Date of Award

12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in History

Department

History

First Reader/Committee Chair

Murray, Jeremy

Abstract

This thesis explores the role of South Korean television dramas (K-dramas) as cultural artifacts that the Korean creators have created and become agents, which in turn has constructed and projected globally the modern South Korean national identity. Positioned at the crossroads of cultural imperialism, nationalism, resistance and appropriation, K-dramas have become extremely critical to reshaping South Korea’s place in the global media landscape. Through the lens of the Hallyu (The Korean Wave), this study analyzes how K-drama’s navigate an ambiguous cultural space which simultaneously resists Western media dominance while appropriating global forms including platform-based distribution, tailoring original content to assert a uniquely Korean narrative. Drawing from media theory, postcolonial studies, and cultural history, this thesis project situates K-dramas within South Korea’s historical experiences of Japanese colonization, Cold War-era American influence and rapid modernization post-Korean War. The case studies of the individual dramas across the 2000s to the post-COVID-2020s reveal how themes of family, memory, and identity have been mobilized to construct hybridized, yet nationally resonant, cultural products. Through close textual analysis and cultural contextualization, the thesis critically examines narrative structure, character development, and visual aesthetics to uncover how K-dramas encode resistance, hybridity, and identity-making. Ultimately, this thesis argues that K-dramas are more than entertainment . It investigates the complexity of the expression of cultural agency, allowing South Korea to negotiate its past and assert a distinct voice in a globalized media environment.

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