Dr. Emily Hall started her academic journey with one question: how does an individual express social and political opposition under authoritarian power? This led her to dissertation on the role of political cartoons and cartoonists in promoting free speech, press, and anti-authoritarianism within the South Korean democracy movements of the twentieth century. After receiving her degree from University of Washington in 2019, she expanded her research to include the rise of webcomics and other pop cultural phenomenon and how it shapes and reflects South Korean culture and social trends. Fundamentally, Dr. Hall explores how artists express their ideas through genre, emotion, aesthetics, trauma, and humor to challenge social norms, inspire change, and provide perspective on the human condition.
