RESEARCH GROUP HISTORY, ANTHROPOLOGY AND GENDER: EAST ASIA, EUROPE AND AFRICA

The East Asian Studies Area of the University of Malaga has been recognized with one of the two research projects that the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea, through the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS), has awarded at international level in the ‘Advanced Seed Track‘ modality, in this case for the study of the processes of equality and inclusion in this country. The other institution selected was the University of Copenhagen.
The AKS awards these prestigious grants to innovative research projects in Korean Studies. Thus, the one granted to the Area of East Asian Studies-Korea Mention of the UMA ‘Path to Equality: Korean Studies Network on Inclusiveness‘ (KEI-Network, AKS-2021-INC-225002) will investigate in detail, for five years, the processes of equality and inclusion of that country and the progressive integration of women in the public sphere.
It will be directed by Professor Antonio J. Domenech, director of the University of Malaga’s Korea Bridge Office, and will have a total budget of 325,000 euros (65,000 euros per year). Aurelia Martín Casares, Luis A. Botella, Kang Eun Kyung, Eo Da Eun and Patricia Chica are the other members of the research team.
The training of new researchers capable of developing Korean Studies in Spain and the Spanish-speaking world, as well as their integration in a multidisciplinary network that advances in the specific study of inclusion and equality, as main topics, are some of the objectives that will be pursued from this project.
“We seek to train the next generation of Korean Studies scholars,” explains Domenech, who emphasizes the leading role of the UMA in this regard, whose Degree in East Asian Studies, currently taught in the Faculty of Social and Labor Studies, celebrates this academic year a decade since its creation in 2011.
Likewise, the consolidation of undergraduate and graduate Korean Studies at the UMA is another of the goals that will be advanced through this research project.
Research Group HUM-880 - History, Anthropology and Gender: East Asia, Europe and Africa
Principal Investigator: Aurelia Martín Casares.
UNESCO Areas
East Asian Studies
Social History
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Public Health
Women’s Social Position
Slavery and Servitude
Research Lines
- Antonio Doménech’s research lines focus on the thought and religions of Korea, the religious beliefs and practices of Korean women in shamanism and Buddhism, as well as gender and family in Korea and intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
- Aurelia Martín’s research lines revolve around the construction of Gender Roles in East Asia and the history of slavery in Korea. Currently, her areas of interest are “Female slavery in Korea during the Joseon period” and “The image of Korea in Spain 1850-1950”.
- Eun Kyung Kang’s research lines focus on Korean theater and literature and intercultural dialogue between the performing arts of Asia and Europe, as well as academic exchanges from the Republic of Korea.
- Luis Botella directs his research towards the history of archaeology in South Korea, as well as historiography and Korean history. He is particularly interested in the relationship between archaeology and ancient history in promoting collective identities within the Korean Peninsula.
- Patricia Chica’s research lines revolve around Korean Studies, specifically in terms of gender and Korean economic relations, its model of international development cooperation, and its strategy of external Public Diplomacy.
- Da Eun Eo’s research lines focus on the Korean language and its teaching as a foreign language for Spanish speakers, as well as her specialization in teaching the Korean language to migrant workers.
In general, all researchers develop the study and teaching of the Korean language and the theme of social inclusion.