When I first participated in a FLEFF event, I was not yet familiar with FLEFF, and I did not know what I was getting myself into.
In the fall of 2016, I joined Ithaca College as faculty in Theatre Arts, with the charge of building a new dramaturgy program. That October, I was invited to participate in the FLEFF/CFE (Center for Faculty Excellence) Interdisciplinary Forum, “Geographies of Global Citizenship.”
FLEFF’s theme that year was geographies, and the moderator, professor Debbie Rifkin, initiated the talk with the question, “How does your research fit, stretch, and/or critique the idea of Geographies of Global Citizenship?”
The question resonated not only with my research but also with my practice and identity.
I am a South Korean citizen. I was born in Germany and spent my childhood there. I spent my youth in Korea, from elementary school through college and the mandatory military service, which I completed as a Naval Intelligence and Interpretation Officer.
My work as dramaturg, translator, and theatre scholar spreads across the geographies of Korea, Germany, and the English-speaking world, and broadly explores the intersections of borders and intercultural practices.
As I navigated my way as a new faculty at Ithaca College, my participation in this forum gave me an opportunity to further examine the questions at the intersections of my research, practice, and identity.
