Stefania Pozzi

In 2012 I obtained my BA in Intercultural Communication for Cooperation and Business (Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Italy), I completed in 2016 a BA in Languages, Cultures and Societies of East Asia and Mediterranean Africa with a focus on Japanese studies (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) that lead my MA in Japanese Studies’ graduation in 2016 (University of Leeds).

My PhD was awarded in 2022: the thesis focuses on Japanese promotions for K-pop and its consumption by Japanese fans. More specifically, it investigates the social and cultural impact of Japanese promotions for K-pop by shedding new light on the process of promotions and consumption of K-pop within the Japanese pop music world. By adopting a multimodal approach to that collection that reflects the variety of materials and formats adopted to promote K-pop in Japan, data included but was not limited to online and offline promotional materials, interviews, live appearances, live performances, billboards, flayers, and promotional videos. A visual and textual analysis has been conducted across the various types of data and the transcripts of interviews and focus groups with Japanese fans of K-pop and experts.

My research develops the discussion of K-pop presence in Japan and its consumption by challenging the role that K-pop has in the expansion and reception of the Korean Wave in Japan. By looking at the presence of K-pop in Japan as a transcultural flow of its own right, the research breaks new ground in the analysis and discussion of K-pop in Japan by highlighting its unique approach to the Japanese pop music market. It also distinguishes between the different elements of a transcultural flow -namely, odourlessness, hybridity and familiarity- and their role in situating K-pop in Japan and within the Japanese pop music market.

I am currently a Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute (LAHRI) Postdoctoral Fellow.

Research Interest

I am interested in furthering the discussion of the Korean Wave and its presence in Japan through the analysis of K-pop’s consumption and promotions. I am also keen in developing cultural, social, and anthropological analysis of Japanese and Korean interaction daily. My current research looks at the role of the Japanese language in the promotion and acceptance of K-pop in Japan.

Publications

BTS: everything you need to know about the astounding success of the world’s favourite K-Pop band (October 2018) The Conversation, Co-written with Professor Dennison

BTS: tudo o que você precisa saber sobre o impressionante sucesso da banda K-Pop favorita do mundo, Revista Interteslas, Bilingual Version (English - Portuguese)

Conference Papers

The 9^th World Congress for Hallyu (October 2022)

Korean Music Promotion in Japan: The Transcultural Flow’s Characteristics of Familiarity and Hybridity in Japanese Promotion for K-pop.

 Presentation on New Momentum for Hallyu 5.0 at the National Library of Korea, Seoul. The presentation focused on the analysis and results of my fieldwork data as discussed in my thesis and included a question-and-answer session. The audience was composed of highly experienced researchers in the field.

The 7^th World Congress for Hallyu (December 2019)

How K-Pop Established Itself in the Japanese Music Market: A Comparative Analysis of Korean Pop Music’s Localisation Strategies from the mid-1990s to 2010s

Presentation on World Hallyu Diffusion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The presentation focussed on the analysis and results of my fieldwork data and included a question-and-answer session. The audience was highly experienced researchers in the field.

 BAJS/ The Japan Foundation Postgraduate Workshop (2018, 2020)

Korean Music Promotion in Japan: The Social and Cultural Impact of K-pop Consumption

Presentation introducing my research to academic colleagues, focussing on all aspects but particularly outlining the methodologies and research frameworks associated with my research aims and relevant to my research questions.

Poster Competition, The University of Leeds (2019)

Korean Music Promotion in Japan: The Social and Cultural Impact of K-pop Consumption

Faculty-wide, competitive poster competition, including poster, formal presentation for non-academic audiences and associated question and answer session.

Poster conference for PGR, The University of Leeds (2018)

Korean Music Promotion in Japan: The Social and Cultural Impact of K-pop Consumption

School-wide poster presentation outlining the main arguments of my thesis and theoretical background to my research.

Qualifications

PhD, 2022, in Languages, Cultures and Societies

MA, 2016, in Japanese Studies

BA, 2016, in Languages, Cultures and Societies of East Asia and Mediterranean Africa

BA, 2012, in Intercultural Communication for Cooperation and Business

Professional memberships

2017 – present: British Association for Japanese Studies

2017 – present: British Association for Korean Studies

2018 – present: World Association for Hallyu Studies

2019 – present: The Nippon Foundation