Entering into global academia: U.S. academic hegemony and former Korean elite athletes’ faculty appointment in higher education

ABSTRACT

This study used a critical phenomenological approach to explore the hegemony of U.S. higher education and the role of cultural capital among former South Korean elite athletes who have obtained faculty positions in the fields of kinesiology and sport studies. Specifically, the investigators examined the lived experiences of 12 former South Korean elite athletes who sought higher education experiences, including doctoral degrees, in the U.S. Participants had been academically disadvantaged during their time in the elite sport system but later gained essential academic knowledge and skills to overcome social and cultural barriers. Therefore, the current study draws on scholarly conversations, exploring factors that motivated participants to pursue education and study at universities in the U.S. Participants discuss how they found avenues for success in academia by using their U.S. doctoral degrees, post-doctoral fellowships, and visiting scholar positions to build educational and cultural capital. Finally, the authors discuss the implications for higher education resources and practices, social justice, advocacy, and educational development.

KEYWORDS:

• Capital
• sport
• study abroad
• faculty
• South Korea

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benjamin H. Nam

Benjamin H. Nam is a Ph.D. and assistant professor in the School of Education at Shanghai International Studies, China. His research interests centre on international and comparative education, East Asian and cultural studies in education, sport, and the arts, and adult learning and vocational education.

Adam Love

Adam Love is a Ph.D. and associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. Love’s research investigates socio-cultural issues in sport including gender and racial ideology in sport, public sociology and discourse about sport, and motivations and experiences in sport participation.

Rachael C. Marshall

Rachael C. Marshall is an associate professor in the Department of Graduate and Professional Studies at California State University, Sacramento. Her research interests include career development and counsellor identity development, wellness, and burnout. She is specifically interested in exploring decision making and mindfulness as methods to promote identity development and prevent burnout.