The Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia (FIB UI) has once again produced a new expert in the field of literature and cultural studies. In a doctoral defense held at the Tjan Tjoe Som Auditorium, Hoesein Djajadiningrat Building, 1st Floor, on Friday, July 3, 2026. Dr. Fadhilah Hasby successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled “Multiculturalism in South Korea and the Reproduction of Global Hierarchy in the Reality TV Show My Neighbor, Charles” before the board of examiners. Through this scholarly achievement, Dr. Fadhilah Hasby not only officially graduated with the distinction of Sangat Memuaskan (Very Satisfactory) but also marked her place as the 490th doctoral graduate from FIB UI, as well as the 9th graduate from the Doctoral Program in Literature (Ilmu Susastra) in 2026.
The open dissertation defense was chaired directly by Dr. Untung Yuwono, S.S. This academic achievement was supervised by Prof. Dr. Lilawati Kurnia, S.S., M.A. as Promoter and Dr. Suma Riella Rusdiarti, S.S., M.Hum. as Co-promoter. In addition to the promoter team, the examination was evaluated by a board of examiners chaired by Lily Tjahjandari, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D., CertDA. The board members included Suray Agung Nugroho, S.S., M.A., Ph.D. (Guest Examiner from Universitas Gadjah Mada), Rouli Esther, S.S., M.Si., M.A., Ph.D., Eva Latifah, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D., and Dr. Adi Kristina Wulandari, S.S., M.Hum.
Through her research, Dr. Fadhilah successfully uncovers the fact that the discourse on multiculturalism in South Korea does not necessarily foster cultural equality. Instead, this diversity discourse is dynamically constructed within an assimilative framework that continuously positions Korean culture as the dominant norm. The study meticulously traces how the reality TV show My Neighbor, Charles (MNC), broadcasted by the public broadcaster Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), operates as a discursive apparatus that reproduces Korea’s monocultural ideology amidst the country’s changing demographics.
Rather than portraying diversity equitably, the narrative strategies employed in the show utilize mechanisms of differentiation to reinforce the superiority of Korean culture. A radical shift occurs in the meaning of social integration, where the adaptation process is framed as a one-sided obligation imposed solely onto immigrants. Dr. Fadhilah highlights a strong presence of cultural paternalism, in which immigrants’ success is strictly measured by their capacity to be disciplined, guided, and assimilated into the local value structures to preserve South Korea’s social cohesion and ethnic homogeneity.
Furthermore, analyzing immigrant stratification, this research captures how a tight grip of representational inequality is hierarchically structured based on race, gender, skin color, and country of origin. Through a postcolonial lens, the study exposes a distinct form of Korean “Orientalism” that perpetuates a global hierarchy: white Western immigrants tend to receive positive representation, whereas immigrants from developing nations (such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Africa) are more frequently reduced to narratives of hardship, backwardness, and a dependency on assistance.
In the conclusion of her research, Dr. Fadhilah summarizes that these intertwined concepts culminate in what she terms “stratified multiculturalism”, a media packaging strategy that appears inclusive on the surface but covertly maintains symbolic boundaries to serve the state’s ideological interests. This profound analysis is expected to make a valuable theoretical contribution to media and migration studies, intersectional identity analysis in media, and the understanding of contemporary South Korean sociocultural dynamics. (SM)
