Jinhee Kim

Born in Goyang, South Korea, Jinhee Kim is a reader, writer, listener, and viewer, interested in the creative power of written and spoken words. She is an MA candidate at NYU Performance Studies and has a BA in Comparative Literature and Culture and International Studies at Yonsei University. Her interests include writing, translation, and performance, and she finds joy in connecting the unconnected. Her current project is about nostalgia, translation, and music. When not doing “academic” work, she can be found in her room overanalyzing Star Wars, classical crossover songs, or thinking of home (homes)—Korea, Hawai‘i, in which she spent a brief part of childhood, New York, and other homes to come.

Title of Project

Translating Nostalgia: Towards a Recreated Journey

Description of Project

My paper explores nostalgia as a form of translation; analyzing nostalgia as a process of recreating the unattainable—an ideal home or past. This is exemplified through music and translation, the relation between different words and sensibilities (understanding, nuance) of the words.

Project Inspiration

This project is inspired by all the music in my playlist and the criss crossing languages. What is it about music that makes one burst into tears, sitting alone in a foreign country? Why does a song make you homesick even when you are at home?

Areas of Academic Interest

Performant Studies, Translation, East Asian Studies, Nostalgia