Dr. Michael Hurt

Dr. Michael Hurt

Visual Sociologist, Ethnographer & Fashion Photographer

Lecturer in Cultural Theory, Korea National University of Arts

Dr. Michael W. Hurt is a visual sociologist and ethnographer whose research explores digital culture transmission and Korean cultural influence across Asia. Based at Korea National University of Arts, where he teaches Cultural Theory and Art History, Dr. Hurt has pioneered innovative approaches to studying hypermodern societies through participatory visual research.

Research Innovation & Current Work

Dr. Hurt's current research centers on Screen-Native Aesthetic Production (SNAP), a methodological framework advocating photography as primary empirical data while pushing researchers to be active practitioners within digital native subcultures. His forthcoming book "SEOULACIOUS SOCIOLOGY: The SNAP Manifesto" advocates this new ethnographic approach rather than maintaining traditional academic distance.

Recent ethnographic research expeditions across Asia, particularly in Vietnam and Indonesia, explore how Korean aesthetics function as predictive indicators of global cultural movements. This work employs "photo-sartorial elicitation," a structured interaction method generating rich social data through collaborative photographic projects.

Pioneer in Korean Street Fashion Documentation

As Korea's first street fashion photographer, Dr. Hurt launched Korea's first street fashion blog in 2006 and has maintained an unparalleled archive spanning over 15 years. His 2009 publication "The Seoul Fashion Report" was the first English-language book on Korean fashion, establishing foundational scholarship in this field.

Corporate Consulting & Applied Research

Dr. Hurt bridges academic research with practical application through consulting for major international firms including Google, Meta, Pinterest, and P&G, providing cultural intelligence on Korean phenomena as predictive indicators of global movements.

Teaching Experience

Current Position:

  • Lecturer, Korea National University of Arts (2019-present)

Previous Positions:

  • Visiting Professor, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Technology (2020-2021)

  • Courses: "Visual Sociology," "Spatial Marketing"

  • Research Professor, University of Seoul (2017-2020)

  • Adjunct Professor, Yonsei University (2016-2018)

  • Courses: "Visual Sociology," "Hallyu Marketing"

  • Assistant Professor, Hongik University (2013-2015)

  • Courses: "Introduction to the Art of Photography"

Recent Publications

Hurt, M. W. (forthcoming 2025). The new playgrounds of Seoul: Insta-aesthetics, 'hot places,' and phantasmic marketing. Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity.

Hurt, M. W. (forthcoming 2025). (The) Korean style: Hybridity and the hypermodern aesthetic. In Contemporary Korean culture on the edge.

Hurt, M. W. (2024). Jessi, screen feminism, and the power of complaisant agency. The Journal of Dance Society for Documentation & History, 72, 3–32. https://doi.org/10.26861/sddh.2024.72.3

Hurt, M. W. (2022). Photosartorial elicitation and the bukae of Korean Instagram. Asian Qualitative Inquiry Journal, 1(2), 113–124. https://doi.org/10.56428/aqij.2022.1.2.113

Hurt, M. W. (2022). Tracking the Korean style: Hallyu in Hanoi, or style in the time of Corona. In M. Tanter & M. Park (Eds.), Here comes the flood: Perspectives of gender, sexuality, and stereotype in the Korean Wave (pp. 15–37). Lexington Books.

Education

  • Ph.D. Comparative Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley (2014)

  • M.A. Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley (1998)

  • B.A. American History & American Civilization, Brown University (1994)

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