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In Pursuit of English: Language and Subjectivity in Neoliberal South Korea

In Pursuit of English: Language and Subjectivity in Neoliberal South Korea

by Sung-Yul Park, Joseph
No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780190855741 Oxford University Press

In Pursuit of English traces how the English language became an object of heated pursuit amid South Korea's rapid neoliberalization, creating the so-called "English fever" of the 1990s and 2000s. Joseph Sung-Yul Park demonstrates that English gained prominence not because of the language's supposed economic value, but because of the anxieties, insecurities, and moral desire instilled by neoliberal Korean society. Park shows how English came to be seen as an index of an ideal neoliberal subject who willingly engages in constant self-management and self-development in response to the changing conditions of the global economy.

Bringing together ethnographically-oriented perspectives on subjectivity, critical analysis of conditions of contemporary capitalism, theories of neoliberal governmentality, and sociolinguistic and linguistic anthropological frameworks of metapragmatic analysis, In Pursuit of English develops an innovative new direction for research at the intersection language and political economy, challenging researchers to consider subjectivity as the key for understanding the place of language in neoliberalism.

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Product details

BrandOxford University Press
Pub dateSep 1, 2021
ISBN-100190855746
ISBN-139780190855741
LanguageEnglish
Dimensions6.1 × 0.7 × 9 in
Weight1 lb
Last updated 2026-06-29 23:06
$57.36
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