Welcome! 

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

I study global justice, legal mobilization, transnational advocacy networks, transitional justice in East Asia and beyond, and conflict-related sexual violence. 

My dissertation examines how the transnational "comfort women" redress movement sustains reparations lawsuits across borders, in Korean, Japanese, and U.S. courts, despite thirty years of defeats until the recent wins in 2021 and 2023 in Seoul. 

My work has been supported by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) International Doctoral Degree Fellowship, the UMass Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellowship, and the Research Enhancement and Leadership (REAL) Fellowship. 

I am on the 2026–27 academic job market. My CV is available on this site, and I can be reached at jbaek@umass.edu.