Dr Jamie Doucette wins Association of Korean Studies in Europe 2025 Book Prize
Dr Doucette was awarded the prize at the 32nd AKSE conference in Edinburgh, for his recent book on South Korean political economy and democratisation
The annual Book Prize celebrates scholars who raise interest in the academic study of Korea beyond the confines of Korean Studies.
, Reader in Human Geography, was presented with this award at the AKSE biennial conference at the University of Edinburgh in June for his recent monograph
Jamie鈥檚 book is an ambitious attempt to reorient research into East Asian political economy towards a more dynamic view of state-civil society relations and concerns about inequality. It charts the efforts of intellectuals, political reformers and civil society organisations to advance a project of 鈥榚conomic democratisation鈥�, examining the many challenges and dilemmas it has encountered. Previously, Jamie won an award from the Academy of Korean Studies to make the book open access.
As a human geographer who works in the interstice between area studies and political economy, it was truly a pleasure to have my work recognised for its contribution to the discipline of Korean Studies. It was personal pleasure to see the book recognised by the AKSE prize committee not only for documenting the challenges of South Korean democratisation that led to its recent martial law crisis, but also for its critique and reframing of the dominant approaches to the topic of states and development in East Asia.
Founded in 1977, the Association of Korean Studies in Europe鈥檚 (AKSE) objective is to stimulate and co-ordinate academic Korean studies across Europe, contributing to the spread of knowledge about Korea among a wider public.