Hello, I'm Seon Shim

I am a first year PhD student at the University of British Columbia with a special interest in media anthropology, disability studies, and medical anthropology. I was born and raised in Korea, shaped by my grandparents’ memories of exile under Japanese colonization and war. For me, exile is tied to the search for a homeland—a place my family never fully regained amid rapid development and outside influence. As a neurodivergent woman, healing generational trauma meant navigating new forms of exile, crossing borders from Korea to the land of the Lenape and Mohican peoples during my master’s (New York University, 2025), and now to the land of the Musqueam people as a first-year PhD student.  

 

These histories of displacement, and the responsibility of living and learning on these lands, guide my commitment to community-centered and restorative work. My goal is to help create conditions where people of different abilities, backgrounds, and identities can find a sense of belonging. Through documentary and collaborative media work, I strive to create spaces where diverse experiences are recognized, valued, and shared.