Asian Studies Seminar Series: Owen Stampton In brief Date - 28 January 2026Venue - Room LG.06, 40 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Owen Stampton (University of Sheffield)Title - The Beginnings of Modern Drama: Literature and the Stage in Early Twentieth Century Korea About the eventUnder the banner of ‘Enlightenment and Civilisation’ progress, Korea’s new intellectual class of the early 20th century sought to challenge, question and critique long-established traditions and social practices to bring about a new era. With the theatre’s rise a new feature of Korea’s ever-changing urban landscape, leading literary voices stressed the potential of new literary trends. Figures like Yi Kwang-su were some of the earliest to experiment with drama as a means of shaping the future.Korea’s earliest playwrights sought to utilise the immersive realism of the stage to instill new thinking among the public. Pressing social and cultural issues relating to education, gender and class conflict quickly became major topics to shape playwriting in the early decades of the 20th century. In this discussion on the beginnings of drama as a ‘new’ genre of Korean literature, we will explore the new-intellectual class and particularly Yi Kwang-su’s vision of theatre as new space that could edify and compel the public towards new thinking.About the speakerOwen Stampton is a Research Associate working on Korean literature at the Centre for Korean Studies in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies at the University of Sheffield. Owen’s existing scholarship primarily focuses on drama and poetry from the late 19th to early 20th century.His most recent research and translations have been published in Korean Studies, The Journal of Korean Studies and the Asian Theatre Journal.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. No registration is required, simply turn up on the day.Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Studies. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Tags Asian Studies Jan 28 2026 16.15 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Owen Stampton An in-person seminar by Dr Owen Stampton (University of Sheffield), titled 'The Beginnings of Modern Drama: Literature and the Stage in Early Twentieth Century Korea'. Room LG.06 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square
Asian Studies Seminar Series: Owen Stampton In brief Date - 28 January 2026Venue - Room LG.06, 40 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Owen Stampton (University of Sheffield)Title - The Beginnings of Modern Drama: Literature and the Stage in Early Twentieth Century Korea About the eventUnder the banner of ‘Enlightenment and Civilisation’ progress, Korea’s new intellectual class of the early 20th century sought to challenge, question and critique long-established traditions and social practices to bring about a new era. With the theatre’s rise a new feature of Korea’s ever-changing urban landscape, leading literary voices stressed the potential of new literary trends. Figures like Yi Kwang-su were some of the earliest to experiment with drama as a means of shaping the future.Korea’s earliest playwrights sought to utilise the immersive realism of the stage to instill new thinking among the public. Pressing social and cultural issues relating to education, gender and class conflict quickly became major topics to shape playwriting in the early decades of the 20th century. In this discussion on the beginnings of drama as a ‘new’ genre of Korean literature, we will explore the new-intellectual class and particularly Yi Kwang-su’s vision of theatre as new space that could edify and compel the public towards new thinking.About the speakerOwen Stampton is a Research Associate working on Korean literature at the Centre for Korean Studies in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies at the University of Sheffield. Owen’s existing scholarship primarily focuses on drama and poetry from the late 19th to early 20th century.His most recent research and translations have been published in Korean Studies, The Journal of Korean Studies and the Asian Theatre Journal.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. No registration is required, simply turn up on the day.Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Studies. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Tags Asian Studies Jan 28 2026 16.15 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Owen Stampton An in-person seminar by Dr Owen Stampton (University of Sheffield), titled 'The Beginnings of Modern Drama: Literature and the Stage in Early Twentieth Century Korea'. Room LG.06 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square
Jan 28 2026 16.15 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Owen Stampton An in-person seminar by Dr Owen Stampton (University of Sheffield), titled 'The Beginnings of Modern Drama: Literature and the Stage in Early Twentieth Century Korea'.
