2024-2025 Williams Prize Award Winner

Caitlin Hong (Grace Hopper College) was the winner of the 2025 Williams Prize in East Asian Studies. The Council on East Asian Studies had a chance to catch up with Caitlin at graduation, and she kindly answered a few of our questions about her essay.

To begin, could you please provide an abstract or brief summary of your essay entitled “Citrus Farming, Tourism, and Globalization: Jeju Island’s Transformation Under South Korea’s State-Led Development”?

My senior essay examines the economic and cultural transformation of Jeju Island from the 1960s to the present, focusing on the interrelated development of the citrus farming and tourism industries. I argue that Jeju’s transformation was shaped not just by South Korea’s top-down, state-led modernization strategies, but also by the island’s distinct regional identity and evolving relationship to the mainland. Drawing on policy, oral histories, and fieldwork conducted in Jeju, I explore how citrus farming—often portrayed as a success story of rural development—relies heavily on under-recognized migrant labor, and how tourism is both a symbol of national pride and a source of tension for local communities. My work emphasizes the adaptive strategies of farmers navigating demographic decline, land use pressures, and agritourism, positioning Jeju as a case study in how peripheral regions both absorb and resist the logics of globalization.

How did you first get interested in your topic of research?

I first visited Jeju while studying abroad in Seoul on the Light Fellowship, and I remember feeling struck by how culturally distinct the island felt from the rest of Korea. Even though Korean is the dominant language, Jeju felt like a place that was both part of the nation and somehow apart from it. That curiosity stayed with me, especially as I noticed how central tourism and citrus were to the island’s image. Originally, I planned to research how tourism was reshaping the island, but the more I learned, the more I became drawn to the longer story of citrus farming as a window into Jeju’s layered economic and regional identity.

What would you say was the most interesting finding of your research?  Were there any surprises?

The most surprising finding was the role that undocumented migrant labor plays in sustaining Jeju’s citrus industry. It’s a topic that’s largely absent from academic literature—especially in English—though it came up frequently in my interviews with both farmers and migrant workers. While I had come across a few policy documents and news articles referencing seasonal labor programs, I had no real sense of how central migrant labor—both documented and undocumented—was to the citrus industry until I was on the ground. One farmer told me, almost offhandedly, that without migrant workers, “the citrus industry wouldn’t exist,” and that sentiment was echoed almost universally across my interviews. It was striking how matter-of-factly farmers described something that’s virtually invisible from the outside—especially in academic literature. That disconnect underscored how easily certain realities can go unrecognized until you speak directly with the people living them, and it reminded me that part of what ethnographic research can do—maybe even what it ought to do—is draw attention to issues that are widely understood within local communities but largely unacknowledged beyond them.

What was the most challenging part of your research?

Conducting ethnographic fieldwork independently was by far the most challenging. Coordinating interviews, earning trust, navigating the Jeju dialect, and even just renting a car and driving myself around rural Jeju were all new experiences. As someone who isn’t from the island and speaks Korean at an intermediate level, building rapport with farmers took time and sensitivity. On the academic side, working with Korean-language sources presented challenges. I learned quickly that the structure of Korean academic publishing differs from what I was used to—fewer books, more articles—and it took time to adjust to how information was organized and accessed.

What resources at Yale were the most helpful for your research?

Professor Hwansoo Kim was an incredibly generous and thoughtful advisor throughout the year, and I’m especially grateful for his feedback and encouragement. Jude Yang, the Korean Studies librarian, was also indispensable in her help navigating Korean-language databases and locating relevant sources. I’m also thankful to CEAS, the History department, and Hopper College for funding that allowed me to conduct fieldwork in Jeju, which ultimately became the heart of the project.

Were you able to travel to Asia during your time at Yale?  If so, where and when, and what type of program?  Did you go on a Light Fellowship?

Yes. I studied Korean at Yonsei University during the fall of 2023 through the Light Fellowship, and I returned to Korea independently in December 2024 to conduct fieldwork on Jeju Island. The Light Fellowship was essential in preparing me—not just in terms of language, but in giving me the familiarity and confidence to return and pursue independent research in a region I’d previously only known through family visits as a child.

How important would you say your language study at Yale was to your research?

It was absolutely essential. I would not have been able to access Korean-language documents or conduct interviews with local farmers and workers without sustained language study. But more than that, studying Korean at Yale and abroad allowed me to build cultural familiarity that made independent fieldwork possible. Before Yale, I had very little firsthand experience in Korea, so language study opened up the possibility of doing this kind of research.

When you had some downtime on campus, what did you like to do for fun?  Any particular interests or hobbies related to East Asia?

I enjoy exploring new coffee shops and watching Korean dramas—recently, I started When Life Gives You Tangerines, which so many people have recommended to me because of my thesis topic. I also began studying Chinese during my senior year, which was a natural extension of my interest in East Asian history and has become something I plan to continue after graduation.

What advice would you offer to rising seniors about how to tackle their senior theses?

Start early—especially if your project involves fieldwork, a foreign language or unfamiliar archives. But also give yourself space to follow unexpected leads. My topic changed substantially from what I originally proposed, and the most meaningful parts of the project came from discoveries I hadn’t planned for. I’d also recommend being proactive and organized about documenting your research process. Also, at my advisor’s suggestion, I wrote a short piece, something like a YDN article, that helped me process what I’d seen and learned, what gaps remained, and how my thinking had evolved. It ended up being one of the most helpful things I did for myself to anchor the process.

What will you be doing after graduation?

I’ll be moving to New York to work in investment banking. While it’s quite different from academic research, I’m hoping to carry forward the skills I developed through this project and find ways to stay connected to East Asia both personally and professionally.