# From SPAM™ to K-Pop: The Korean War and the Rise of Modern South Korea ![2 children next to a barrel with korean writing on it.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4921/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2026-02/04-23%20korea%20detail.jpg?itok=Dj36XC55) #### calendar\_today Date and Time **April 23, 2026** 06:00PM - 07:00PM EDT #### pin\_drop Location **Geological Lecture Hall** [24 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA 02138 United States ]() ## Free Hybrid Book Presentation Speakers: - Sean C. Kim, Professor of History, University of Central Missouri - Ilisa Barbash, Curator of Visual Anthropology, Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University South Korea has recently jumped onto the global stage through its economic rise and export of popular culture. Drawing on their new book, *The Forgotten Home Front: Roger Marshutz’s Photographs of Pusan, South Korea, 1952–1954* (Peabody Museum Press and KMEC Books, 2026), coauthors Lisa Barbash and Sean Kim will visually explore a key moment of transition in the development of South Korea: the Korean War (1950–1953). This conflict ruptured Korea’s traditional and colonial past and ushered in new political, economic, and cultural opportunities—under American influence—that have shaped modern South Korea. By examining this moment of change through photography, the lecture illuminates South Korea’s rise from a war-torn peninsula to an economic powerhouse and global cultural trendsetter. Copies of [*The Forgotten Home Front*](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674294196) will be available for purchase and signing following the program. Advance registration recommended for [online](https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vdQzohp4QHuRkwKZtGj4nQ) and [in-person](https://forms.office.com/r/r4qmxXUMAa) attendance. Free admission. Free event parking at the [52 Oxford Street Garage](https://www.google.com/maps/place/52+Oxford+St,+Cambridge,+MA+02138/@42.3801643,-71.1153065,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89e37740b4804b09:0x1ca7c4a4324b1694!8m2!3d42.3801643!4d-71.1153065!16s%2Fg%2F11c2133ff1) starting at 5:00 pm. Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture in collaboration with the Harvard Korea Institute. ### About the Speakers **Sean C. Kim** is Professor of History at the University of Central Missouri where he teaches courses on East Asian, World, and U.S. history. Kim holds a PhD from the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. His research focuses on modern Korean religious history, particularly the emergence of Protestant Christianity. Kim is currently working on an edited volume on Korean religions. **Ilisa Barbash** is Curator of Visual Anthropology at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology. Her book, *Where the Roads All End: Photography and Anthropology in the Kalahari* (Peabody Museum Press, 2015) received the John Collier, Jr. Award from the Society for Visual Anthropology. Her coedited volume, *To Make Their Own Way in the World: The Enduring Legacy of the Zealy Daguerreotypes* (Aperture/Peabody Museum Press, 2020) won the 2021 Rencontres d’Arles, Best Historical Photographic Book Award. *Detail of photo by Roger Marshutz. Gift of Roger Marshutz, 2003. © President and Fellows of Harvard College, Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology,* [*2005.11.1*](https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/486978) See also:- [ Asia ](/region/asia) - [ Public Lectures ](/video-type/public-lectures) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://peabody.harvard.edu/node/1618416/event-feed.ics) Copy link link