Dr. Seungho Moon is a Fulbright U.S. Scholar and a Professor of Curriculum Studies at Loyola University Chicago (LUC). He is a founding faculty member of EdD and MEd in Curriculum, Culture, and Communities (3Cs), emphasizing social justice education with community engagement. Dr. Moon has been an active member of KAERA and served on the Board of Directors in 2023-2026.
1. What current project or professional work are you most excited about?
I am excited about theorizing local, indigenous epistemology as a mode of inquiry and a mode of praxis when neoliberal educational policy and fear-based politics shape how people live and make critical political decisions. My current research project, Korea as Research, supported by the 2026-2027 Fulbright Scholar Program, is an example of how I explore the nexus of art, history, and philosophy to recenter local voice not as a periphery but as foundations of inquiry. With the same theme of Korea as Research, I am the guest editor of a Special Section in Comparative Education Review (CER).
2. What motivated you to enter your field, and how has your research or professional focus evolved over time?
If I were asked the same question 30 years ago, I would have emphasized Minjung theology as a Catholic seminarian at that time. I shifted my discipline from theology to education with a new interpretation of my “calling,” and I entered a liminal space and place of inquiry from local epistemology, like Korean Studies. My initial exposure was curriculum theorizing with hermeneutics and liberation theology, and it has been expanded to reflect on my ethnic heritage and ways of living/thinking/feeling as Korean. Maxine Greene, who was a mentor, dissertation committee member, and a great teacher at Teachers College, Columbia University, has influenced and shaped my scholarship with an emphasis on art, the aesthetic experience, and social transformation. She did not teach me the content of Korean Studies, yet she inspired me to center local epistemology as a mode of inquiry and praxis.
3. How has KAERA contributed to your professional network, scholarship, or sense of community?
My role as a Board of Directors member from 2023 to 2026 helped me grow both professionally and personally. Serving as a leading member was a critical opportunity to recognize the value of KAERA and suggest visions for the upcoming years. I find scholarship and community of research among KAERA's core values and successfully completed a workshop series in Spring 2026 entitled Korea as Research. More than 80 members registered for this workshop series, and more than 20-30 people participated in each session, which comprised 4 sessions. As a senior member of KAERA, I was grateful to offer a new perspective on reviewing Korean Studies as the center of research, not simply as content of Korean experience or a framework for dismantling Eurocentric epistemology. I advocate the value and implications of Korea or Korean studies as it is, not as an appendix with/in diversity discourse. The support of KAERA was tremendous in offering the framework and logistics for presenting theories and praxis in this field.
4. What advice would you give to graduate students or early-career scholars in the field?
Relationship matters. Interdependence matters. Codependence matters. I used to emphasize independence and spent most of my time conducting research by myself, aligned with the expectations of single authorship and the culture of individual performance. Still, it is critical to demonstrate one’s independent scholarship. Now I am learning more about the value of a research community where scholars collaborate and share ideas. Seek out support from peers, senior scholars, and mentors, and be active in reaching out to people via emails or conferences. Imposter syndrome is an ongoing struggle among immigrants and people of color. You need friends, particularly scholarly friends, and KAERA is the very first step to extend this scholarly social circle. Find allies to be cultural translators in your academic and personal journey, regardless of geographical or cultural locations.
5. Outside of your professional work, tell us some interesting facts about yourself.
Running is living. I run, therefore I am. Living in Chicago is a privilege: I run along Lake Michigan. 10K is my next goal.