Lebanese scholar Rania Hafez joins Korea Deconstructed for a wide-ranging conversation on class, culture, and the search for meaning. Rania reflects on how media pushes culture wars over class solidarity, the importance of leadership in academia, and how she discovered Korean dramas during the Covid pandemic. Her love for Crash Landing on You and Hometown Cha Cha Cha helped her find beauty and purpose again, calling Korea her "Narnia."

A deeply personal and philosophical episode about rediscovery, passion, and why Korea speaks to so many hearts around the world. She also reflects on her experiences as a Muslim in Korea and how she is able to navigate these spaces.

Rania: https://www.instagram.com/the_lebanese_londoner/

David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell

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Discussion Outline

0:00 Korea Deconstructed

2:45 Meaning in modern life

31:00 The importance of class

1:01:20 The struggles of capitalism

1:08:30 K-dramas and the love of the country

1:26:40 Being a Muslim in Korea

1:37:00 How to foster connection

1:46:45 Recommendations

Music by Jocelyn Clark

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