Junghyun Nam
Junghyun Nam
Adjunct Faculty
Sociology: Democracy, Social Movements, Mass Protests, Protest Policing, Emotion, Space
I am an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at George Mason University, specializing in social movements, mass protests, protest policing, emotion, and space. Taking South Korea's 2016-2017 Candlelight Protests as a case study, my dissertation examines how pro-democracy protest movements produce internal dynamics of inclusion and marginalization, with particular emphasis on mobilization, collective identity formation, and protester-police relations.
Contact: jnam5@gmu.edu
Current Research
My current research pursues three interconnected lines of inquiry:
Micro dynamics of police repression and Soft repression: This research investigates police repression and its outcomes, with particular emphasis on how protesters perceive and respond to police. I also investigate citizens' participation in repressive activities against activists with disabilities.
Emotion in mass protests: This work focuses on how joy develops and functions in contentious events, with particular emphasis on boundary-drawing within mass protests.
Practices of discipline in protest movements: This project analyzes how practices of discipline influence both the continuation of nonviolent mass protests and processes of marginalization within those protests.
Grants and Fellowships
2025 Student Travel Grant, Korean and Korean American Sociologists Community of American Sociological Association
2025 ASA Student Forum Travel Fund, American Sociological Association
2025 Dissertation Completion Grant, George Mason University
2024 Summer Doctoral Fellowship, Center for Humanities Research, George Mason University
2022-2024 Doctoral Research Scholars Award, George Mason University
2022 Summer Research Fellowship, George Mason University
2022 Dissertation Research Fellowship, Department of Sociology and Anthropology,
George Mason University
2021 IFKU Scholarship, International Foundation for Korea University
Courses Taught
SOCI 101 Introductory Sociology
SOCI 120 Globalization and Society
Education
Ph.D. in Sociology, George Mason University (2025)
M.A. in Linguistics (specialization: semiotics), Korea University (2014)
B.A. in Linguistics, Korea University (2012)
Recent Presentations
Nam, Junghyun. 2025. Presenter and Table Presider. “Territorial Pacification: Police as Allies and Dual Responses to Police Repression.” Round Table Session. American Sociological Association Conference, Chicago, IL, August 9.
Nam, Junghyun. 2025. Invited Discussant. “[Joint Forum] The Cultural Politics of the Square,” co-organized by BK21 Korean Language and Literature Education Research Group at Sungkyunkwan University, Global Cultural Contents Interdisciplinary Program at Sungkyunkwan University, Editorial Board of <Culture/Science>, Institute for Cultural Studies, Cultural Action Network, Humanities Cooperative Association, and Contemporary Political Philosophy Research Association. Seoul, South Korea, March 7.
Nam, Junghyun. 2025. “Territorial Pacification: Police as Allies and Dual Responses to Police Repression.” Eastern Sociological Society Conference, Boston, MA, March 6.
Nam, Junghyun. 2024. "We are the Square: Formation of Place-Based Collective Identity in the South Korean Candlelight Protests." Round Table Session. American Sociological Association Conference, Montreal, Canada, August 13.
Nam, Junghyun. 2024. "Territorial Pacification: Self-Disciplining Protest from within the South Korean Candlelight Protests." Mobilization Conference, San Diego, CA, July 9.
Nam, Junghyun. 2024. “Spatial Formation of Collective Identity in Mass Protest.” Eastern Sociological Society Conference, Washington, D.C., February 29th.
Nam, Junghyun. 2023. “Goal-based Solidarity: the Internal Structure of Political Solidarity and its Impact on its Duration.” The Pacific Sociological Association Conference, Seattle, WA, March 31.
Nam, Junghyun. 2023. “Emotions in Motion: the Role of Emotions in the Mobilization and Sustainment of Mass Protest.” Korean Studies Young Scholars Graduate Conference, The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, March 3.
Nam, Junghyun. 2023. “Emotion in Motion: the Role of Emotions in the Candlelight Protests.” Eastern Sociological Society Conference, Baltimore, MD, February 24.
Nam, Junghyun and Dae Young Kim. 2021. "The K-pop Fans' Sense of Community and Attributive Factors." The Korean Wave in North America conference, George Mason University. Fairfax, VA, January 15.