About

I hold an MA in Asian Studies from Boğaziçi University. I base my work on the elite theories of Michels, Pareto, and Mosca, and Weberian theories, and focus primarily on Japan and South Korea. With regards to Japan, I am interested in elite, religious, and party politics, while for South Korea I am interested in Korean “comfort women”, national identities and the Korean Wave. I am also interested in urban sociology, focusing on how the socio-political finds its reflections on the city.

My master’s thesis titled “Understanding Jimintō (Liberal Democratic Party) Factionalism as a Structure of Elite Circulation in Japanese Politics” focuses on LDP factions as structures through which circulation of elites occurs in the political circles of Japan, with an eye towards both a better understanding of LDP’s factions within the context of Japan’s ruling class and to add to the existing literature on elite theory as well.

In part, I am using my work as a way to advance elite theories as an alternative approach to Japanese politics, moving beyond a dichotomy of cultural and functional-structural approaches. I am also committed to doing comparative research, to better situate the insight from research on Japan and Korea out of a position of exceptionalism and to advance inter-regional academic dialogue.

Through my blog, I am also working to bring both historic and contemporary issues about Asia to a broader audience, as Asia becomes more important in our lives and in international relations.