History/Asian Studies Major describes his honors thesis

“The North Korean Mass Education System”

This thesis explores the modes of representation that North Korea has taken in projecting its own image to its constituents and the international community. In reconceptualizing the idea of propaganda, the work aims to trace the trajectory of the North Korean system of information dissemination. By taking into account specific historical moments of potential or actualized political crises, it is possible to see the manner in which the state mass education system in North Korea was used to consolidate power. Chapter One looks at a biography of the North Korea’s founder within the context of the mythology of the nation through a postcolonial nationalist lens. Chapter Two looks the period of succession as one of further intensification and subsequent performativity of state rhetoric, manifested in a drive to produce more art for the state. Chapter Three looks at modern, everyday occurrences through the lens of ritual in an attempt to explain the pervasiveness and saturation of propaganda in North Korean society today.

Eilin Pérez ’14 is a History and Asian Studies double major from Flushing, Queens in New York City. He enjoys dancing to Latin music, listening to jazz, and is a diehard fan of the New York Mets.