This article aims at understanding the identity of K-Pop as a Korean product gone global and to describe the nature of the social space that has been created around it. The approach employed in this paper is holistic, in that it takes into account the creation, distribution, and consumption of K-Pop as integral elements in the making of K-Pop and…[Read more]

The factions of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP or Jimintō) have received ample attention from academics, given their position as the power holders and brokers of Japan, which has allowed them to shape and direct the political scene of post-war modern Japan. Factions have been described as tools of electoral success and career ad…[Read more]

This article provides an analysis on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Strategy, seeking to explain its foundations, define its key terms and the rationale and implications behind its choices of terminology, and look into the guiding values and ultimate aims of the FOIP strategy. Although US action under the Trump presidency has been framed…[Read more]

This study focuses on the development of the Japanese colonial empire and the parallel changes in Imperial Japan’s internal political attitudes and sensibilities with particular emphasis on the changes in the political orientations of the Japanese leadership, over the framework of discussion provided by Nakae Chōmin’s “A Discourse on Govern…[Read more]

Space is no doubt an important subject for the Etruscan religion, whether in the inauguration of cities and sacred areas, or in the divination of omens through the Piacenza liver in divided spaces of a sacrificial liver. It is then understandable that in the architecture and layout of the temples and sacred places, the usage of space, bears…[Read more]

This study focuses on developing an understanding of the relationship between crisis length and leaders’ choices of different forms of – diplomatic, economic, or military – action in solving crises. The guiding question here is in what way does the length of a crisis affect authoritarian leaders’ choice between diplomatic, economic, or militar…[Read more]

This study focuses on providing an analysis of the making of the planetary climate crisis, focusing on how our definition of the historical/ecological period which we living in right now and the way in which the forces that have created this condition have been conceptualized. This question is approached through a critical analysis of capitalism…[Read more]

This is a short researched essay on the topic of the Eastern – primarily Ottoman – harem, beneath the Western gaze. Please note that this was a short researched paper written for an undergraduate course titled “Sociology of Colonialism”. I have edited the file to remove any personal information – such as my student ID – and kept the body of the…[Read more]

This study will focus on the topic of “Americanizing” reforms carried out under the tenure of General MacArthur as SCAP, during the American Occupation of Japan. The guiding question here, asks in what ways the political and economic reforms carried out by the Occupation – specifically democratization, the new constitution, land reform, and zaiba…[Read more]

This article deals with the question of Xi Jinping’s power and control over the People’s Republic of China’s relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as a strong leader at the head of a “rising” China. Defined by Mao as being as close as lips and teeth, the relations between the two countries and who has the power to shape them…[Read more]

This article deals with the South Korean chaebols – whose economic power affords to them the position of economic elites – and their ties to the political structures of South Korea, questioning whether or not they could be defined as political elites as well. Given the intimate nature of economic and political power which can be seen on a global…[Read more]

This article deals with the personal relationship that has emerged between US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as a part of Abe’s foreign policy and analyzes its impact on Japan’s foreign relations and political-diplomatic prospects. As a key alliance in keeping the peace in the Asia-Pacific, the rise of personalized…[Read more]