Lina Hoshina

Lina’s current research explores the relationship between tourism and social memory across the Korean Peninsula between the 1960s and the early 2000s. This research builds on her two master’s theses, one written at the University of York, UK, and the other at the University of Seoul, South Korea. 

With an interest in nationalism and commemorative activities, the first thesis explored how the Independence Gate in Seoul symbolises South Korean nationhood and how it is affected by the country’s political conditions. This study was followed by a thesis that considered more systematic aspects of shared memory, focusing on tourism policy and tourist experience in 1980s South Korea. In doing so, she examined the historical context of tourism as a means of creating memory narratives. 

As these studies only explored memory practices in South Korea, the current research sought to contextualise these practices within a global context, with a broader regional and chronic span to capture a more comprehensive understanding.  Her interest in Korean history has developed gradually. While an undergraduate, she explored the history of East Asia throughout her studies, even though her degree was in English. This interest in East Asian history coincided with the conflict over historical cognition between South Korea and Japan. She started wondering why different countries have different versions of history and how people understand their past through their daily lives, which led her into the field of public history.   

Her interest in public history is deeply connected with the questions she raised above. As she focuses more on the people's understanding of the past, she continues to study the field. In South Korea, she discussed public history at a global scale at a Korean public history institution, Histo Facto.  Keeping a public history perspective, Lina will analyse archival documents, tourism-related objects, travelogues, and oral history interviews. By using a variety of sources, she aims to incorporate both macro- and micro-level histories in her research.

• Post-1945 Korean History
• Memory studies
• Historical cognition
• Public history
• Tourism
• Cultural heritage
• Decolonisation