Kashfia Arif

Western University Canada, Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism, Graduate Student

OCAD University, Faculty of Art, Graduate Student

University of LIberal Arts Bangladesh, Media Studies and Journalism, Faculty Member

SOAS University of London, Centre for Media and Films, Alumna

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I'm currently pursuing a PhD in Theory and Criticism at Western University, Canada, researching visual arts and culture. My research is transdisciplinary as is my educational background.
I have an MFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practice from OCAD University, Canada. I curated my thesis exhibition, titled "Refuge in Audacity: Let the Memes Fall as They May" on the usage of memes and absurdism as a means of catharsis during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
I have an MA in Critical Media and Cultural Studies from SOAS, University of London. My Masters thesis looked at social media and fanculture, focussing particularly on transnational fanculture of Korean Pop Music. The research is titled "Fandoms in K-Pop: A Critical Analysis of the Transnational Fanculture of K-Pop and the Social Media".
My BA is in English Literature and Linguistics, where for my honours paper, I did a comparative thematic analysis of literary and media texts using Bakhtin's ideas of heteroglossia.
I used to teach Media Studies and Journalism as a Lecturer in ULAB prior to returning to grad school.
Supervisors: Dr Julian Jason Haladyn (at OCADU) and Dr Jaeho Kang (at SOAS)

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Conference Presentations by Kashfia Arif

Gender and Performativity: Shakespeare’s Cross-dressing Women.docx

The idea of cross-dressing is quite popular in contemporary culture, with both male and female ch... more The idea of cross-dressing is quite popular in contemporary culture, with both male and female characters adopting the guise of the opposite gender. The idea of donning a disguise to change one's assigned gender role and the ensuing character hijinks that occur are used quite frequently to develop characters and plots. We see the technique littered through literature in varying degrees of effectiveness with Shakespeare using the idea of cross-dressing to great effect in his comedies. Whether male or female, Shakespearean characters have always undergone a lot of scrutiny and analysis, and the idea of cross-dressing by characters blurs the lines between what can be considered inherently a male or female characteristic. Characters such as Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Viola in Twelfth Night or Rosalind in As You Like It donned the garbs of their male counterparts. This decision to switch genders by these characters and the consequent follow-through are what determines and moves the plot forward for all three plays. This paper explores that decision to subvert the gender boundary and seek agency. It does not look at patriarchy but rather tries to explore the idea of assigned gender roles and performativity in Shakespeare's arguably strongest female characters.

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Breaking the Fourth Wall in K-Pop: Voyeurism and Talking About Reverse Panopticons

Objectification is common in the media and entertainment industry; if you're in the limelight, th... more Objectification is common in the media and entertainment industry; if you're in the limelight, there is no way to escape objectification, irrelevant of gender. While prevalent in both Western and Eastern entertainment industries, this objectification borders on voyeurism when it comes to the Korean entertainment industry, mainly the music sector. Artists, particularly " idol " musicians live in a fishbowl environment, a reverse panopticon of sorts where every gaze is on them and their actions are scrutinised step by step, both internally by their agencies, and externally by the paparazzi and further still by their fans. This essay looks at this panopticism present in the K-pop industry, where idols are constantly under surveillance, and how they cope with the lifestyle of living in a reverse or inverse panopticon. The focus of this paper is from the other side, where artists break the fourth wall using their songs, and consequently music videos to talk about the voyeurism and objectification they face. Using three music videos, Xia Junsu's " Tarantallegra " (2012), G-Dragon's " Who You? " (2013) and FT-ISLAND's " Pray " (2015) as points of focus, this paper analyses and examines the varying degrees of voyeurism faced by idols as they live in a panopticon society.

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Papers by Kashfia Arif

Looking at Fan Identity: The Bangladeshi K-Pop Fan

Breaking the Fourth Wall in K-Pop: Voyeurism and Talking About Reverse Panopticons

Objectification is common in the media and entertainment industry; if you’re in the limelight, th... more Objectification is common in the media and entertainment industry; if you’re in the limelight, there is no way to escape objectification, irrelevant of gender. While prevalent in both Western and Eastern entertainment industries, this objectification borders on voyeurism when it comes to the Korean entertainment industry, mainly the music sector. Artists, particularly “idol” musicians live in a fishbowl environment, a reverse panopticon of sorts where every gaze is on them and their actions are scrutinised step by step, both internally by their agencies, and externally by the paparazzi and further still by their fans. This essay looks at this panopticism present in the K-pop industry, where idols are constantly under surveillance, and how they cope with the lifestyle of living in a reverse or inverse panopticon. The focus of this paper is from the other side, where artists break the fourth wall using their songs, and consequently music videos to talk about the voyeurism and objectif...

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Artist Image Regulation in Japan and South Korea

For the purposes of this discourse, the paper will briefly touch upon the issue of censorship as ... more For the purposes of this discourse, the paper will briefly touch upon the issue of censorship as a form of state regulation and focus mostly on two case studies, one from Japan and another from South Korea. Both case studies reveal the level of control an agency exerts over its artists in the progress of their careers, rather than the role state censorship plays in regulation. Using the case studies of a) Johnny’s Entertainment and KAT-TUN’s members, and, b) SM Entertainment and the lawsuit by JYJ, this essay will try and show the level of control that agencies have over their artists and the talents that they nurture and debut through their record labels. Before concluding, it will try and show how, unlike Western artists, groups and artists are literally manufactured and tailored to fit the market trends and demand patterns in the music industry and question whether this control actually infringes on an artist’s ability to truly be themselves and give full reign to their creative freedom.

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Gender, Sexuality and Image in K-Pop.docx

The notion of image is a cornerstone in the South Korean music industry. Every idol or artist lau... more The notion of image is a cornerstone in the South Korean music industry. Every idol or artist launched into the market has to market a certain image that they are then known by. This essay attempts to comment upon the shift in the representation of masculinity, femininity and gender sexualisation in the Korean music industry since post 2000s, the commodification and fetishizing of artists and what might now be considered the image of current idol stars. Using relevant theories and by analysing the music video of Xia Junsu's Tarantallegra, the paper will explore the notion of gender, sexuality and voyeurism prevalent in South Korean music industry. It looks at how gender and sexuality is perceived in the South Korean pop music scene as well as show how there has been shift in the portrayal of gender sexuality between the first and second Hallyu Waves.

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Thesis Chapters by Kashfia Arif

Refuge in Audacity: Let the Memes Fall as They May

OCAD University Open Research Repository, 2023

Through the presentation of memes created during the pandemic, the graduate exhibition Refuge in ... more Through the presentation of memes created during the pandemic, the graduate exhibition Refuge in Audacity: Let the Memes Fall as They May explores manifestations of absurdism and dark humour as a means of catharsis and healing in order to befit the individual's desire to seek meaning in an otherwise meaningless existence. The rampant transmission of memes during the COVID-19 Pandemic revealed an outpouring of absurdism in the aftermath of this global crisis. A response that is similar to the Spanish Flu and World War I where, steeped in collective grief and trauma, the global population sought refuge in humour, the surreal, and the nonsensical. Contemporary visual creators also employ humour in their response to the existential crisis brought by the pandemic. The memes in this exhibition are all taken from the period starting with the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020 till the present-since the pandemic is still ongoing-and are printed and displayed in the gallery space. Refuge in Audacity showcases the usage of memes as an absurd expression of experience during the pandemic years and reflects on their identity as the storytellers of the period.

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Gender and Performativity: Shakespeare’s Cross-dressing Women.docx

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Breaking the Fourth Wall in K-Pop: Voyeurism and Talking About Reverse Panopticons

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Looking at Fan Identity: The Bangladeshi K-Pop Fan