Dr. Heunjung Lee
Affiliations
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow
Sessional Instructor
Faculty of Kinesiology
Contact information
Preferred method of communication
Please email me at heunjung.lee@ucalgary.ca
Background
Educational Background
Ph.D. Performance Studies, University of Alberta, 2024
M.A. Performing Arts Studies, Seoul National University (South Korea), 2016
BSc. Communication Studies; Cultural Studies (Double Majors), Dongguk University (South Korea), 2013
Biography
Dr. Heunjung Lee is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Calgary. Her postdoctoral project, "Moving through Dementia" (2025-2027), aims to develop a culturally responsive movement program to support embodied identities and memories of immigrant older adults living with dementia in Alberta. She earned her Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of Alberta in 2024. Her interdisciplinary research examines the cultural constructs of aging narratives in theatre and performance, as well as inclusive and accessible dramaturgy that empowers older performers. Dr. Lee’s work has been published in Theatre Research in Canada, Contemporary Theatre Review, Performance Research, and several scholarly anthologies, including the forthcoming Late Stage: Theatrical Perspectives on Age and Aging (2026). In addition to her research, she serves on the editorial teams of TRIC/RTAC and Age, Culture, and Humanities.
Research
Areas of Research
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| KNES244 | Sociology of Movement Cultures | Spring 2026 |
Projects
This interdisciplinary working group explores the intersections of racial justice and health equity within the health humanities. The arts and humanities have long transformed how we understand illness, care, and medicine—excavating the cultural, ethical, and experiential dimensions of health that clinical frameworks alone cannot capture. Yet scholarship and creative practice in this field have often centred dominant Western, clinician-focused, and socially privileged perspectives, insufficiently addressing what Berry et al. (2024) identify as the structural injustices and identity-based oppressions embedded in healthcare and medicine. This gap is especially acute in the Canadian context, where Indigenous communities, people of colour, and immigrant and migrant populations face compounding barriers to healthcare access, encounter persistent discrimination, and experience disproportionately poor health outcomes. The stories, knowledge, and lived experiences of these communities remain significantly underexamined. Bringing together artist-researchers and graduate students from the arts, humanities, and medicine, this working group fosters critical interdisciplinary dialogue on race, ethnicity, health, and representation. Members of the group bring sustained expertise in filmmaking, dance and embodied practice, multisensory installation, and other creative and participatory methods, all applied to questions of health equity, care, and the lived experience of illness. This collective foundation enables us to investigate how might the health humanities more effectively advance racial justice and cultural inclusion in health and care contexts.
Awards
- SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025-2027, The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). 2025
- Alzheimer's Society of Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (declined due to concurrent award), Alzheimer's Society of Canada. 2025
- Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES), University of Alberta. 2023
- Graduate Student Teaching Award, University of Alberta. 2023
- SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. 2020
Publications
- Asking Questions About Mature Artistry and Adaptive Practices in Canadian Dance. Revista Cena. (2026)
- “Theatrical Affordances to Stage the Perceived-Experienced Reality of People with Dementia: Florian Zeller’s Dramaturgy of Porosity in The Father.” . Heunjung Lee. Contemporary Theatre Review. pp. 203-217. (2023)
- “En/Countering Ageism Together: All the Sex I’ve Ever Had by Mammalian Diving Reflex.”. Heunjung Lee. Theatre Research in Canada. pp. 82-102. (2023)
- “Aging from Queer and Trans Perspectives: laGeste’s Gardenia-10 Years Later (2021).” Late Stage: Theatrical Perspectives on Age and Aging, editors. Benjamin Gillespie and Cindy Rosenthal. Lee, Heunjung.. University of Michigan Press. pp. 148-162. (2026)
- “Performing Dramaturgies of Care in Quarantine: Aging, Inclusivity, and Aesthetics in a Virtual World.” Pandemic Play: Community in Performance, Gaming, & the Arts, editors. Catherine Quirk and Carolyn Ownbey. Benjamin Gillespie, Julia Henderson, and Heunjung Lee.. Springer Nature. pp. 165-183. (2024)
- “Dancing Relational Bodyhood: Older Disabled Artist-Activist Tuuli Helkky Helle (1933-2018).” Aging Experiments: Futures and Fantasies of Old Age, edited by Joao Paolo Guimaraes. Heunjung Lee. Transcript Publishing. pp. 97-124. (2023)
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