@article{ART003350363},
author={Jiyoun Joeung and Kyungmin Baek},
title={Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital},
journal={The Journal of Multicultural Society},
issn={2005-2553},
year={2026},
volume={19},
number={2},
pages={361-399}
TY - JOUR
AU - Jiyoun Joeung
AU - Kyungmin Baek
TI - Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital
JO - The Journal of Multicultural Society
PY - 2026
VL - 19
IS - 2
PB - Research Institute of Asian Women
SP - 361
EP - 399
SN - 2005-2553
AB - Drawing on in-depth interviews with international students at Korean universities, this study examines how Korean academic credentials (hakbeol) function as social and cultural capital in a global context. The findings reveal that Korean credentials operate not as universal capital with absolute authority, but as a form of “limited global cultural capital” effective only within specific regions and contexts; rather than internalizing them as a symbol of academic authority or social status, students employed them as conditional resources combined with practical gains such as scholarships and employment. The experience of “having studied in Korea” is converted into national-image capital in home and third countries, repositioning these students as transnational actors and strategic designers of limited cultural capital. By conceptualizing Korean credentials as social capital within a semi-peripheral field where national image, cultural industry, and education policy intersect, this study reconsiders the “academic dependency” thesis of Western-centered research and attempts a spatial extension of cultural capital theory.
KW - Korean academic credentialism (hakbeol);international students;cultural capital;transnational agency;limited global cultural capital
DO -
UR -
ER -
Jiyoun Joeung and Kyungmin Baek. (2026). Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital. The Journal of Multicultural Society, 19(2), 361-399.
Jiyoun Joeung and Kyungmin Baek. 2026, "Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital", The Journal of Multicultural Society, vol.19, no.2 pp.361-399.
Jiyoun Joeung, Kyungmin Baek "Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital" The Journal of Multicultural Society 19.2 pp.361-399 (2026) : 361.
Jiyoun Joeung, Kyungmin Baek. Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital. 2026; 19(2), 361-399.
Jiyoun Joeung and Kyungmin Baek. "Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital" The Journal of Multicultural Society 19, no.2 (2026) : 361-399.
Jiyoun Joeung; Kyungmin Baek. Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital. The Journal of Multicultural Society, 19(2), 361-399.
Jiyoun Joeung; Kyungmin Baek. Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital. The Journal of Multicultural Society. 2026; 19(2) 361-399.
Jiyoun Joeung, Kyungmin Baek. Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital. 2026; 19(2), 361-399.
Jiyoun Joeung and Kyungmin Baek. "Hakbeol in the Semi-Peripheral Field: Korean University Hierarchy as Limited Global Cultural Capital" The Journal of Multicultural Society 19, no.2 (2026) : 361-399.
