Lecture Abstract

Since the late nineteenth century, Seoul has undergone compressed modernization at a rapid pace. Within the contexts of colonialism, two wars, nation-state building, decolonization, and deindustrialization, diverse forces have collided, expanded, and transformed the city. This lecture explores the changing urban environment of Seoul from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century through the two keywords of “hybridity” and “dynamics.” 

19세기 말 이후 빠른 속도로 압축적 근대화를 겪어온 서울은 식민지적 상황, 두 번의 전쟁, nation-state 형성, 그리고 탈식민과 탈산업화라는 상황 속에서 다양한 힘들이 충돌하고 확장되며 변화해왔다. 본 강연은 19세기 말 이후부터 21세기 초까지 이르는 서울 도시환경의 변화를 ‘혼종성’과 ‘역동성’이라는 두 개의 키워드로 바라보고자 한다.

Profile

Yeonkyung Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering at Yonsei University. Her research focuses on the modernization, industrialization, and colonization of cities and architecture in East Asia since the late nineteenth century, with particular attention to Seoul, Incheon, and Ulsan. She examines the everyday lives of urban residents, the transformation of urban environments, and the heritagization of industrial and urban heritage. Her books include “Little Japan” in Hanseongbu: Jingogae or Honmachi, Incheon: Walking Through 100 Years of History (co-authored), and Memory of Modernity, Industrial Heritage: How Do Former Industrial Facilities Become “Cultural Heritage”? (2025).