Joseph Seeley
@josephaseeley.bsky.social
assoc prof @UVA_History. Specialist in 20th century Korea, Japanese Empire, and East Asian environments. Recently published new book Border of Water and Ice is OA! https://tinyurl.com/3susuy49
Was thrilled to see this newly-published review of my book in the Journal of Asian Studies. Many thanks to Ted Boyle @borderthinking.bsky.social for the critically engaged review, especially his thoughts on my book's contribution to border studies.
Full Review: read.dukeupress.edu/journal-of-a...
Full Review: read.dukeupress.edu/journal-of-a...
November 6, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Was thrilled to see this newly-published review of my book in the Journal of Asian Studies. Many thanks to Ted Boyle @borderthinking.bsky.social for the critically engaged review, especially his thoughts on my book's contribution to border studies.
Full Review: read.dukeupress.edu/journal-of-a...
Full Review: read.dukeupress.edu/journal-of-a...
Fun interlibrary-loan surprise. From Yale I got this interesting 1980s memoir of a Zainichi Korean describing North Korea's agricultural struggles. It was obviously marked up, and on the cover page I saw it was ex libris of Noriaki Tsuchimoto, the famed Japanese documentarian.
October 31, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Fun interlibrary-loan surprise. From Yale I got this interesting 1980s memoir of a Zainichi Korean describing North Korea's agricultural struggles. It was obviously marked up, and on the cover page I saw it was ex libris of Noriaki Tsuchimoto, the famed Japanese documentarian.
Not even an unusually heavy rain could dim my excitement at returning to my alma mater today! 6년만에 스탠포드. 懐かしすぎる.
October 14, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Not even an unusually heavy rain could dim my excitement at returning to my alma mater today! 6년만에 스탠포드. 懐かしすぎる.
Highly idiosyncratic Hangul spelling of the word "조선" (Korea) on the cover of a 1930 colonial Korean magazine. Almost looks like a completely different script.
October 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Highly idiosyncratic Hangul spelling of the word "조선" (Korea) on the cover of a 1930 colonial Korean magazine. Almost looks like a completely different script.
Needed some happy news, so I was thrilled to see that both of my panels had been accepted for next year's @asianstudies.org conference! Look forward to seeing Asian Studies friends and colleagues in Vancouver!
September 29, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Needed some happy news, so I was thrilled to see that both of my panels had been accepted for next year's @asianstudies.org conference! Look forward to seeing Asian Studies friends and colleagues in Vancouver!
Excited to be returning to my PhD alma mater (first time since graduation) for a book talk in a few weeks!
ceas.stanford.edu/events/borde...
ceas.stanford.edu/events/borde...
September 24, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Excited to be returning to my PhD alma mater (first time since graduation) for a book talk in a few weeks!
ceas.stanford.edu/events/borde...
ceas.stanford.edu/events/borde...
An influential Koreanist once described Soviet-occupied North Korea as an "isle of tranquility," but the stories of those who fled South after Korea's 1945 division suggest otherwise. Yumi Moon’s chapter in this great new volume helpfully elucidates this refugee experience.
September 13, 2025 at 2:23 AM
An influential Koreanist once described Soviet-occupied North Korea as an "isle of tranquility," but the stories of those who fled South after Korea's 1945 division suggest otherwise. Yumi Moon’s chapter in this great new volume helpfully elucidates this refugee experience.
As the Osaka Expo remains ongoing, for those interested in the deeper history of exhibitions in Japan, please check out this online book talk event I am moderating in less than two weeks!
mjha.org/event-6239996
mjha.org/event-6239996
August 26, 2025 at 11:15 PM
As the Osaka Expo remains ongoing, for those interested in the deeper history of exhibitions in Japan, please check out this online book talk event I am moderating in less than two weeks!
mjha.org/event-6239996
mjha.org/event-6239996
Excited to be presenting at this conference as well! I will be sharing new work on North Korean animal history for those interested.
August 19, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Excited to be presenting at this conference as well! I will be sharing new work on North Korean animal history for those interested.
Historians of Bluesky! I am putting together a syllabus for a graduate/upper undergraduate seminar this fall on "Animal Histories," and would love your help putting together a chronologically/geographically/thematically diverse set of readings. Self-promotion is also very welcome!
July 21, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Historians of Bluesky! I am putting together a syllabus for a graduate/upper undergraduate seminar this fall on "Animal Histories," and would love your help putting together a chronologically/geographically/thematically diverse set of readings. Self-promotion is also very welcome!
I have yet to see the global pop-culture phenomenon that is "Kpop Demon Hunters," but as someone who has written about Korean tiger history, I love seeing images of the Korean folk art-inspired "Derpy Tiger."
July 18, 2025 at 8:22 PM
I have yet to see the global pop-culture phenomenon that is "Kpop Demon Hunters," but as someone who has written about Korean tiger history, I love seeing images of the Korean folk art-inspired "Derpy Tiger."
More than just an airport stop before Seoul, Incheon is such a fascinating place architecturally and historically, especially around the old treaty port area. As a historian of modern Korea I've talked about this port so many times, but embarrassingly this was my first time coming here!
June 23, 2025 at 5:53 AM
More than just an airport stop before Seoul, Incheon is such a fascinating place architecturally and historically, especially around the old treaty port area. As a historian of modern Korea I've talked about this port so many times, but embarrassingly this was my first time coming here!
First time in mainland China since the pandemic. Last week friends at Tsinghua University kindly invited me to present about my book. Audience was great and asked sharp questions. Tsinghua is also a lovely campus with a main quad that reminds me a lot of UVA.
June 18, 2025 at 3:14 PM
First time in mainland China since the pandemic. Last week friends at Tsinghua University kindly invited me to present about my book. Audience was great and asked sharp questions. Tsinghua is also a lovely campus with a main quad that reminds me a lot of UVA.
First time ever at UCLA! Look forward to presenting about my book tomorrow at the Center for Korean Studies:
www.international.ucla.edu/cks/event/17...
www.international.ucla.edu/cks/event/17...
June 3, 2025 at 12:47 AM
First time ever at UCLA! Look forward to presenting about my book tomorrow at the Center for Korean Studies:
www.international.ucla.edu/cks/event/17...
www.international.ucla.edu/cks/event/17...
Border-patrolling biplanes were also a thing for the Japanese along their imperial border between Korea and Manchuria, as my book discusses.
May 31, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Border-patrolling biplanes were also a thing for the Japanese along their imperial border between Korea and Manchuria, as my book discusses.
Excited to share my new article on the West Sea Barrage, considered by North Korea as one of its signature engineering achievements. The article looks at the history and consequences of the project as part of a broader NK campaign to "remake nature."
doi.org/10.3828/whpe...
doi.org/10.3828/whpe...
April 18, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Excited to share my new article on the West Sea Barrage, considered by North Korea as one of its signature engineering achievements. The article looks at the history and consequences of the project as part of a broader NK campaign to "remake nature."
doi.org/10.3828/whpe...
doi.org/10.3828/whpe...
In addition to meeting friends old and new, a highlight of @aasasianstudies.bsky.social 's #AAS2025 conference has definitely been Seiji Shirane helping me take the obligatory author book pic. If you're here in Columbus, be sure to check out the @cornellupress.bsky.social both!
March 15, 2025 at 5:31 PM
In addition to meeting friends old and new, a highlight of @aasasianstudies.bsky.social 's #AAS2025 conference has definitely been Seiji Shirane helping me take the obligatory author book pic. If you're here in Columbus, be sure to check out the @cornellupress.bsky.social both!
Really appreciated the opportunity to talk about my book at Harvard's Korea Institute yesterday and for all the delightful questions and discussion.
March 8, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Really appreciated the opportunity to talk about my book at Harvard's Korea Institute yesterday and for all the delightful questions and discussion.
A (since long-gone) relic of Japan's pre-WWII spiritual imperialism. This was a Shinto shrine built on the northern edge of Japanese-occupied Korea, dedicated to housing the "Guardian God of the Border."
February 26, 2025 at 2:46 AM
A (since long-gone) relic of Japan's pre-WWII spiritual imperialism. This was a Shinto shrine built on the northern edge of Japanese-occupied Korea, dedicated to housing the "Guardian God of the Border."
Excited to be talking about my new book at Harvard University in two weeks! Many thanks to the Korea Institute for the invitation, and @eastasiascitech.bsky.social for being discussant.
February 21, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Excited to be talking about my new book at Harvard University in two weeks! Many thanks to the Korea Institute for the invitation, and @eastasiascitech.bsky.social for being discussant.
And finally, here's an painting of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung visiting a whaling ship. North Korean whaling activities seem to have stopped by 1980s, however, and now North Korea is known for criticizing whaling done by neighboring Japan.
February 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
And finally, here's an painting of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung visiting a whaling ship. North Korean whaling activities seem to have stopped by 1980s, however, and now North Korea is known for criticizing whaling done by neighboring Japan.
Image from another NK magazine of whalers and curious onlookers surrounding a captured 50-ton right whale.
February 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Image from another NK magazine of whalers and curious onlookers surrounding a captured 50-ton right whale.
North Korean whalers with harpoon cannons in a 1960s North Korean magazine. Encouraged by the North Korean state, their quarry included the now critically endangered North Pacific right whale (see image in thread).
February 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
North Korean whalers with harpoon cannons in a 1960s North Korean magazine. Encouraged by the North Korean state, their quarry included the now critically endangered North Pacific right whale (see image in thread).
From 1970s North Korean magazine. The gun was a personal gift from Kim Il-sung to the grandmother on her 60th birthday (환갑), who knew that the residents of her village were "up all night" dealing with wild animals eating their newly-planted crops.
January 16, 2025 at 4:11 PM
From 1970s North Korean magazine. The gun was a personal gift from Kim Il-sung to the grandmother on her 60th birthday (환갑), who knew that the residents of her village were "up all night" dealing with wild animals eating their newly-planted crops.
Two days of thought-provoking, sometimes eyebrow-raising, but overall fruitful conversations with DC Korea policy folks courtesy CSIS US-Korea NextGen Scholars program. Learned much from my fellow cohort scholars as well. Many thanks to @victordcha.bsky.social, @andysaulim.com, and program sponsors!
January 8, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Two days of thought-provoking, sometimes eyebrow-raising, but overall fruitful conversations with DC Korea policy folks courtesy CSIS US-Korea NextGen Scholars program. Learned much from my fellow cohort scholars as well. Many thanks to @victordcha.bsky.social, @andysaulim.com, and program sponsors!