Bo kyung Blenda Im (PhD Ethnomusicology, 2019) has been appointed as assistant professor of sacred music of divinity at Yale University beginning July 1, 2023.
Im is an ethnomusicologist who specializes in popular culture and Christianity in Korea and the Korean diaspora. By centering the work of Asian/diasporic faith practitioners in her scholarship, she unsettles Western colonial epistemologies – particularly neo-Orientalist constructions of “Asia” – that condition the terms of inclusion and exclusion in the modern world. Her interdisciplinary research primarily addresses music studies and actively dialogues with religious studies, Korean studies, ethnic studies, and anthropology.
Im is currently serving as the Global Korean Diasporas Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University.
The full announcement on Im's appointment can be viewed here.