Dr. Elizabeth Son

Biography

Elizabeth W. Son is an award-winning author, educator, and public scholar dedicated to researching and uplifting women’s involvement in the performing arts and social activism. An interdisciplinary performance scholar, ethnographer, historian, and cultural critic, her research and teaching intersect theatre, performance studies, Asian American studies, and gender studies. Son’s transnational work explores the interplay of art, culture, and politics, specifically within theatre and multidisciplinary art forms. Her focus is on the embodied practices and testimonies of political actions that illuminate the experiences of Korean, diasporic, and Asian American women, providing critical spaces to grapple with historical legacies and cultivate community. She teaches courses on race, gender, culture, trauma, memory, and theatre as a vehicle for social change in both U.S. and global contexts. Her award-winning book, "Embodied Reckonings: 'Comfort Women,' Performance, Transpacific Redress" (2018), examines contemporary performances in South Korea, Japan, and the United States that address the history of Japanese military sexual slavery. Son’s essays have appeared in notable journals, and she has received numerous fellowships and awards for her scholarly work and teaching.

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Experience

Awards