Research Log #2
Final Research Topic Selection !
Embedded Files
My definitive topic selection for the research project:
✦- ALIEN STAGE -✦
✦- led by South Korean indie YouTuber and illustrator Vivinos, animator Qmeng, and produced by Studio Lico -✦
Why Alien Stage?
Between the three sources I spoke of in my last research log, I have decided to focus my research on the animation Alien Stage!!
The reason why I decided for this to be my primary source is due to me being really intrigued with this source! Alien Stage is a unique kind of source that is new, something that has not been done before, so knowing this fact intrigued me. I also really liked the fact that this kind of source included a lot of themes surrounding feminism and LGBTQ+ that I would love to talk about! ( I also did use a picker wheel website because of how indecisive I was, and while using the wheel, I was really hoping it would land on ALNST, which made me realize that I had already wanted to research it and would love for it to be my focus!! hahaha...)
3-4 specific research questions I want to answer
As many might not know, Alien Stage is fairly new, meaning there is little to no scholarly discussion surrounding this primary source. However, this specific Korean animation series has a general topic area focusing on queer worldbuilding in dystopic science fiction. Based on this information, some possible research questions that I have come up with are:
1) In what ways do queer creators influence the way queer dystopian worlds within science fiction animations are created?
2) How does the representation of ALNST's homonormative alternate societies within a dystopian setting challenge normative conceptions of identity, gender, and sexuality?
3) How do the Korean queer creators of ALNST protest the representation of queer/feminist rights throughout the series?
Best secondary source I have found so far
Book: Queer Korea by Todd A. Henry (Chapter 6: Queer Lives as Cautionary Tales: Female Homoeroticism and the Heteropatriarchal Imagination of Authoritarian South Korea)
-This book is one of the best secondary sources I have found throughout my search for secondary sources. While skimming through the chapter and reading the description of the source, I found that it is extremely similar to the topics that I would love to talk about within my research paper! This specific chapter of the book speaks of the history behind South Korean artists and their creations, more specifically, how "creators of alternate culture have worked to overturn derogatory and exploitative representations of sexual minorities, whose lives remain largely missing from historical accounts of their country's modernity" (p.205). Overall, this chapter covers similar topics as the possible research questions I would want to answer, making this secondary source extremely helpful for additional/background information for my research paper!
Reflection:
Both Prof.Fan and Prof.Ruberg spoke about topics that made me excited to start the spring quarter, those topics being Asian American and science fiction as well as the topic of queer studies. Both these topics genuinely piqued my interest as I am very intrigued by topics that involve immigrant families and video games (this is more of my nerdy, personal interest though haha!) so this quarter has become one of my favorites so far.
When it comes to their research, I learned that the research process is not as easy as it seems, and it can be a very long process. However, their advice for researching a certain topic shown in the Humanities Handbook has helped me understand what my spring research project will look like, especially since my research project will surround the topic of queer media( just like Prof.Ruberg !)
As for particular challenges, while researching Alien Stage, I foresee some difficulty in trying to prove my claims/research questions by connecting them back to my primary source, Alien Stage, but I am determined that I will be able to do so. However, if I do find myself struggling with my research process, I will most likely seek advice/help from Prof.Ruberg since they have more knowledge when it comes to queer studies/research!!
I am truly excited to continue researching the animation Alien Stage this Spring quarter and will do my best!!
works cited:
works cited:
VIVINOS. "Alien Stage." https://www.youtube.com/@VIVINOS
Todd A. Henry. “QUEER LIVES AS CAUTIONARY TALES: FEMALE HOMOEROTICISM AND THE HETEROPATRIARCHAL IMAGINATION OF AUTHORITARIAN SOUTH KOREA.” Queer Korea, Duke University Press, 2020, pp. 205-260, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv11hpn09.10.
Report abuse