Stephen J. Epstein

Stephen J. Epstein directs the Asian Languages and Cultures Programme at Victoria University of Wellington where he is Associate Professor. His research and publications focus on contemporary Korean society and popular culture, and he has translated several works of Korean and Indonesian fiction. Recent books include The Korean Wave: A Sourcebook, co-edited with Yun Mi Hwang (Academy of Korean Studies Press, 2016) and his translation of Intan Paramaditha’s novel The Wandering: A Red Shoes Adventure (Harvill Secker, 2020). His co-edited volume with Rumi Sakamoto, Popular Culture and the Transformation of Japan-Korea Relations will appear with Routledge in July 2020. He has also co-produced two documentaries on the Korean underground music scene with Timothy Tangherlini “Our Nation: a Korean Punk Rock Community” (2001); “Us and Them: Korean Indie Rock in a K-pop World” (2014) and served as the 2013-14 president of the New Zealand Asian Studies Society.