Skip to content
1981
Religion in Popular Global Culture
  • ISSN: 2051-7084
  • E-ISSN: 2051-7092

Abstract

In 2017, I launched a survey on the importance of Japanese and Korean popular cultures in Kuwait. I discovered a paradoxical pattern of resistance to the East through the adherence to another eastern culture. I wanted to examine how other non-western countries handle ‘Japanese culture’ in comparison and decided to adopt Singapore as a sample case. Both Kuwaiti and Singaporean students stress the differences between Japan/Korea and their own country, but also insist on similarities. In both surveys there is a strong emphasis on ethics. Both are impressed by the Japanese politeness and their capacity to organize life, and most reasonings evolve around the theme of ‘conservatism’. Singaporean students, when asked about Japan and Korea, point to conservative patterns predating what they perceive as the Americanization of Asia. The positive values located in this part of East Asia correspond with precisely those values that Kuwaiti students (as well as Singaporean Muslim students) single out as particularly compatible with Islamic mindsets. In both countries, respondents see Korea/Japan as the ‘real’ Confucian/Muslim nations harking back to more pristine values. Negative evaluations, for example of hallyu as a soft power for Korean economic interest, are almost absent.

© 2023 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00088_1
2023-03-07
2026-04-23

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Abshire, Jean E.. ( 2011), The History of Singapore, Santa Barbara, CA:: ABC-Clio;.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Ainslie, Mary J.. ( 2016a;), ‘ K-dramas across Thailand: Constructions of Koreanness and Thainess by contemporary Thai consumers. ’, The Asia-Pacific Journal, 14:7, pp. 1–15.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Ainslie, Mary J.. ( 2016b;), ‘ Korean overseas investment and soft power: Hallyu in Laos. ’, Korea Journal, 56:3, pp. 5–32.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Alhashem, Fatema, and Alhouti, Ibrahim. ( 2021;), ‘ Endless education reform: The case of Kuwait. ’, in A. W. Wiseman. (ed.), Annual Review of Comparative and International Education (International Perspectives on Education and Society), vol. 40, pp. 345–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Almurtaji, Yousuf. ( 2016;), ‘ The relationship between behavioural problems and academic achievement in Kuwait primary schools. ’, Ph.D. thesis, Guildford:: University of Surrey.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Botz-Bornstein, Thorsten. ( 2011), The Cool-Kawaii: Afro-Japanese Aesthetics and New World Modernity, Lanham, MD:: Lexington;.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Botz-Bornstein, Thorsten. ( 2016;), ‘ Kawaii and Kenosis: Vattimo’s “weak thought” and feminist theology. ’, East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 2:1, pp. 111–24.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Botz-Bornstein, Thorsten. ( 2018;), ‘ Kuwait: Japanophilia and beyond: How far does international culture penetrate?. ’, in S. Holland, and K. Spracklen. (eds), Alternativity and Marginalisation: Essays on Subcultures, Bodies and Spaces, Bingley:: Emerald;, pp. 43–60.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Chin, Bertha, and Morimoto, Lori. ( 2013;), ‘ Towards a theory of transcultural fandom. ’, Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 10:1, pp. 92–108.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Chua, Beng H.. ( 2017), Structure, Audience and Soft Power in East Asian Pop Culture, Hong Kong:: Hong Kong University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace) ( 2003–04, South Korea:: MBC Self-Production;).
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Galbraith, Patrick, and Karlin, Jason. ( 2012;), ‘ Introduction: The mirror of idols and celebrity. ’, in P. Galbraith, and J. Karlin. (eds), Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture, Basingstoke:: Palgrave Macmillan;, pp. 1–33.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Ganghariya, Garima, and Kanozia, Rubal. ( 2020;), ‘ Proliferation of hallyu wave and Korean popular culture across the world: A systematic literature review from 2000–2019. ’, Journal of Content, Community & Communication, 11:6, pp. 177–207.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Glasspool, Lucy. ( 2012;), ‘ From boys next door to boys’ love: Gender performance in Japanese male idol media. ’, in P. Galbraith, and J. Karlin. (eds), Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture, Basingstoke:: Palgrave Macmillan;, pp. 113–30.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Hanaki, Toru,, Singhal, Arvind,, Han, Min Wha,, Kim, Do Kyun, and Chitnis, Ketan. ( 2007;), ‘ Hanryu sweeps East Asia: How Winter Sonata is gripping Japan. ’, International Communication Gazette, 69:3, pp. 281–94.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Hong, Euny. ( 2014), The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop-Culture, New York:: Simon & Schuster;.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Huang, Xiaowei. ( 2009;), ‘ Korean wave: The popular culture comes as both cultural and economic imperialism in East Asia. ’, Asian Social Science, 5:8, pp. 123–30.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Jang, Gunjoo, and Paik, Won. ( 2012;), ‘ Korean wave as tool for Korea’s new cultural diplomacy. ’, Advances in Applied Sociology, 2:3, pp. 196–202.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Jumong ( 2006–07, South Korea:: MBC TV;).
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Korean Culture and Information Service (KCI) ( 2011a), K-Pop: A New Force in Pop Music, Seoul:: Ministry of Culture;.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Korean Culture and Information Service (KCI) ( 2011b), The Korean Wave: A New Pop-Culture Phenomenon, Seoul:: Ministry of Culture;.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Latouche, Serge. ( 1996), The Westernization of the World: Significance, Scope and Limits of the Drive towards Global Uniformity, Cambridge:: Polity Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Lee, Eunbyul. ( 2017;), ‘ When Korean wave flows into the Islamic world: A study of hallyu in Tunisia. ’, in Yoon, T.-J., and Jin, K. Y. Y.. (eds), The Korean Wave: Evolution, Fandom, and Transnationality, Lanham, MD:: Lexington;, pp. 163–80.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Lee, Pearl. ( 2016;), ‘ English most common home language in Singapore. ’, Straight Times, 10 March, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/english-most-common-home-language-in-singapore-bilingualism-also-up-government-survey. Accessed 11 March 2022.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Lie, John. ( 2012;), ‘ What is the K in K-pop? South Korean popular music, the culture industry, and national identity. ’, Korea Observer, 43:3, pp. 339–63.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Lim, Joanne. ( 2015;), ‘ Engaging participation: Youth culture and the Korean wave in Malaysia. ’, in M. Ainslie, and J. Lim. (eds), The Korean Wave in Southeast Asia: Consumption and Cultural Production, Kuala Lumpur:: SIRD;, pp. 155–74.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Malik, Saadia I.. ( 2019;), ‘ The Korean wave (hallyu) and its cultural translation by fans in Qatar. ’, International Journal of Communication, 13, pp. 5734–51.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Nasir, Kamaludeen M.. ( 2016), Globalized Muslim Youth in the Asia Pacific: Popular Culture in Singapore and Sydney, New York:: Palgrave Macmillan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Oh, Ingyu. ( 2017;), ‘ Islam and local culture: The peril of state violence and hallyu fandom in Indonesia. ’, Kritika Kultura, 29, pp. 232–57.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Siriyuvasak, Ubonrat, and Shin, Hyunjoon. ( 2007;), ‘ Asianizing K-pop: Production, consumption and identification patterns among Thai youth. ’, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 8:1, pp. 109–36.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Tambunan, Shuri M. G.. ( 2015;), ‘ Imaginary “Asia”: Indonesian audience’s reflexivity on K-dramas. ’, in M. Ainslie, and J. Lim. (eds), The Korean Wave in Southeast Asia: Consumption and Cultural Production, Kuala Lumpur:: SIRD;, pp. 75–94.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Tony Blair Associates ( 2009), Vision Kuwait 2030: The State of Education in Kuwait: An Update, London:: World Bank;.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Botz-Bornstein, Thorsten. ( 2023;), ‘ Japanese/Korean popular culture in Kuwait and Singapore: Resistance and conservatism. ’, East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 9:1, pp. 45–63, https://doi.org/10.1386/eapc_00088_1
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00088_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): comparative cultural studies; East Asian Muslim culture; hallyu; Japanese pop-culture; Korean pop-culture; Muslim modernity

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test