Chasing Soju (Acknowledgements)

Dedication

This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather. “백잔내기 ” 김창기 선생님께 .

Acknowledgements

This thesis is the product of two years under the tutelage of my advisor, Professor Trent E. Maxey. From our Special Topics to our advising sessions, my conversations with you laid the very foundations of this intellectual capstone. Thank you for your encouragement and for your guidance, and for entertaining my wild and sometimes misguided last­-minute whims. While I may not have been the easiest advisee, I certainly hope to not have been the most unimaginative.

I am indebted to the mentors, staff, and faculty who have supported and guided me throughout this endeavor, however directly. Thank you Mr. Raj F. Kommineni, Dr. Tracie Rubeck, Professor Jun Hee Cho, Professor Deborah Gewertz, Professor Sergey Glebov, Professor Rick A. López, Professor Solsiree del Moral, and Professor Barry O’Connell of Amherst College; Professor Hyunhee Park of the City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center; and Professor Hyun Suk Park and Professor Siavash Saffari of Seoul National University. In a similar vein, I am thankful for financial support from the Alpha Delta Phi Fund and the G. Forrest Gillett 1936 Memorial Fund.

I am indebted to the line­-by-­line feedback of my friend and colleague, Shantanu Havaldar. I hope that my citation of your work in my thesis marks the first of many to come.

I am indebted to my friends and peers who have been invaluable sources of support. While too many in number to name, you are all truly the greatest gifts of my time here and I hope that you know who you are. I would like to especially recognize my friends, Yuki Nakao and Mashiyat Zaman, for your encouragement and support while we were all in the nosebleeds.

I am indebted to Minju Kim for leading, accompanying, and following me at every step of the way. This thesis would have been truly impossible without my navigator, photographer, editor, friend, and support. Your intelligence and wit continue to humble me.

I am indebted to my parents, Ook Kim and Mikyung Song, and my siblings, Yoon, Jean, and Hyun. Thank you all for your love, support, and devotion. Thank you for your understanding while I was out researching soju and out “researching” soju.

I am indebted to my four grandparents. To my grandfather who taught me his love for alcohol and to my grandmother who tempered it, to my grandfather who I’ve almost inched out in height and to my grandmother who never fails to inch me out in width.

Thank you.