Korean Anthropology Anthology of Korean Studies 4

Korean anthropology holds a unique position in the field of anthropology, having first developed with native scholars studying native culture under the prevalent influence of cultural and social anthropology, rather than with the past western practice of studying the Other. Since the 1980s, several attempts have been made to examine Korean culture from different points of view, such as political economy and area studies. This trend is visible in the articles contributed to the Korea Journal over the past forty years. While the early articles focus mainly on Korean shamanism and folklore, the emphasis shifts in the latter half to more diverse subjects such as Koreans abroad and changes in Korean communities under the social, economic, and political influences of the modern times. This volume, Korean Anthropology: Contemporary Korean Culture in Flux, presents 30 original articles carefully selected from the Korea Journal covering all aspects of Korean culture seen through the distinct viewpoints of anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, geographers, architects, folklorists, and psychiatrists. The articles, chosen under the guidance of Professor Han Kyung-Koo, are arranged along five major themes. Articles in Part I discuss different ways of understanding Korean culture including traditional conceptualization and utilization of nature and living space, and representations abroad. Part II looks at the changes and continuities in Korean communities and beliefs under the social and political influences of modern Korea, ranging from Saemaeul Movement, religious conflicts, and marriage customs. Part III focuses on Korean women in ""patriarchal"" Korean society and the male-female relationship in contemporary Korea. Among featured subjects are women on Jeju-do island, female workers in multinational corporations, and family relations. Shamanistic rituals and fortunetelling, the main theme of Part IV, are still prevalent in Korea alongside modern medicine and cutting-edge technology despite the conflicts and confusion brought on by the rapid industrialization and westernization of Korean society. While some traditions have been discarded, other have been retained in a diff! erent or compromised form, This brings us to the final Part V which explores how various social relationships are formed and maintained within modern Korean society: men and women continue to rely on kinship and social ties to survive in a highly competitive and centralized society. Intended to be an introductory yet comprehensive collection of readings on Korean culture, we hope this volume will stimulate further debates and discussions on Korean culture and society. "   Table of Contents   I. How to Understand Korean Culture · Lim, Jae-Hae. Tradition in Korean Society: Continuity and Change · Sasse, Werner. Teaching Korean Culture through Korean Studies: Creating Myths to Live by · Choi, Hyup. Representing Korean Culture in America: A Case Study of the Korean Ethnological Collections at the Smithsonian Institution · Choi, Chang-jo. Study of How Koreans View and Utilize Nature · Shin, Young-Hoon. Living Space in the Traditional Korean House   II. Changing Tradition · Kirn, Kwnag-Ok. The Communal Ideology and Its Reality · Kirn, Song-Chul. Kinship in Contemporary Korea · Oh, Myung-Seok. Peasant Culture and Modernization in Korea: Cultural Implications of Saemaul Movement in the 1970s · Moon, Okpyo. Ancestors Becoming Children of God: Ritual Clashes between Confucian Tradition and Christianity in Contemporary Korea · Cho, Myung-Rae. Flexible Sociality and the Postmodernity of Seoul · Kendall, Laurel. A Noisy and Bothersome New Custom': Delivering a Gift Box to a Korean Bride   III. The World of Women · Yoon, Soon Young. Occupation, Male Housekeeper: Male-Female Roles on Cheju Island · Park, Boojin. The Utilization of Residential Space and Family Relations: The Case of the Korean Rural Farnily · Yi, Eunhee Kirn. 'Horne is a Place to Rest': Constructing the Meaning of Work' Family, and Gender in the Korean Middle Class · Kim, Hyun Mee. Gender/Sexuality System as a Labor Control Mechanisrn: Gender ldentity of Korean Female Workers at a US. Multinational Corporation · Kim, Eun-Shil. Wornan and the Culture Surrounding Childbirth · Sarah, Chunghee Soh. Compartmentalized Gender Schema: A Model of Changing Male-Female Relations in Korean Society   IV. Magic, Science and Religion in Modern Korea · Laurel, Kendall. Caught Between Ancestors and Spirits: Field Report of a Korean Mansin's Healing Kut · Canda, Edward R. Korean Shamanic Initiation as Therapeutic Transformation: A Transcultural View · Rhi, Bou-Yong. Psychological Aspects of Korean Shamanism · Kim, Kwang-Iel. Shamanist Healing Ceremonies in Korea · Yoon, Soon Young. Magic, Science and Religion on Cheju Island · Rhie, Sang-lt. Dramatic Aspects of Shamanistic Rituals · Janelli, Dawnhee Yim. The Strategies of a Korean Fortuneteller · Kim, Jin-Pil. Fortunetelling Goes Modern   V. Too Modern Too Soon? · Yee, Jaeyeol. The Social Networks of Koreans · Na, Eun-Yeong. Changes in Values and the Generation Gap Between the 1970s and the 1990s in Korea · Han, Kyung-Koo. The Politics of Network and Social Trust · Lee, Jaehyuck. Society in a Vortex? · Dredge, C. Faul. Srnoking in Korea · Kim, Yong-Hak and Son Jaesok. Trust, Cooperation and Social Risk: A Cross-Cultural Comparison  

Modern Korean politics has developed in the midst of great turbulence. In the first half of the twentieth century, Korea experienced Japanese colonial rule, liberation, national division, and civil war. Since then, Korean politics has been dominated by repressive dictatorships and widespread civil uprisings. The transition to democracy has been long and arduous. This volume, Korean Politics: Striving for Democracy and Unification, offers a critical view of the contemporary political arena by presenting a range of enduring historical factors that continue to influence Korean politics, and considers their implications for the future. Under the guidance of Prof. Kang Jung In, the 28 articles contained in this volume were selected from a total of over 300 published in the Korea Journal over the past 40 years and are arranged under five major themes. The nine articles in Part I cover the evolution of diverse political institutions in Korea, including the political party system, presidential and National Assembly elections, the bureaucracy, and local-level governments along with an overall assessment of democratization in Korea. The growth of civil society and social movements in the midst of Korea's democratization is the focus of Part II. This section discusses the Korean state as it is based on the concept of state autonomy, the strengths and weaknesses of civil society, and the role of the public sphere—especially the media—in the process of democratic transition and consolidation. Part III introduces political culture and discourses of reform, examining such issues as the authoritarianism that dominated Korea's political processes, the continuing influence of Confucianism on political reform, and how popular conceptions of politics have changed during the transition to democracy. In dealing with North-South relations, Part IV presents a range of opinions on how to improve inter-Korean relations and establish a lasting peace structure on the Korean peninsula. The articles specifically focus on unification dialogue between the Koreas, confidence-building and disarmament, the relevance of the German model of unification for Korea and the North-South summit in 2000. Finally, Part V explores the international relations and strategic considerations surrounding the Korean peninsula, and considers the implications of international relations for Korean unification. Considering the enormous impact of U.S. policy on Korea over the past 50 years, this section pays particular attention to the origins and development of U.S.-Korea relations and the impact of U.S. policy on Korea's political future. In approaching Korea's complex political past and its uncertain future, this volume presents issues that have significance not just for students and scholars of politics, but for anyone interested in how Korea has been transformed in the last century, where it is headed, and what impact it has in the arena of international relations. Table of Contents I. Evolution of Political Institutions · Aim, Bvung-man. Korean Political Parties and Political Development: Crucial Elections and the Process of Institutionalization of the Political Party System · Hahn, Kvungdong. Presidential Election, Opinion Polis, and The Political Stock Market in Korea · Park, Chan Wook. The Fourteenth National Assernbly Election in Korea: A Test for the Ruling Democratic Liberal Party · Hong, Soohn-ho. A Historical Study of Bureaucracy in Korea · Jung, Yong-Duck. 1999. Administrative Reform in Korea: A Historical-Institutional Perspective · Yea, Sallie. Regionalism and Political-Economic Differentiation in Korean Development: Power Maintenance and the State as Hegemonic Power Bloc · Chung, Chung-Mok. 1999. The New Perspective for Korean Local · Kang, Jung In, Reflection on Korea's Democratic Transition II. Political Culture and Discourses on Reform · Alm, Chung-si. Political Culture and Political Socialization of the Post-War Generation in South Korea · Han, Wan-Sang. Change in the Political Conception of Koreans Over a Transitional Period · Hahm, Chaibong. Confucian Political Discourse aitd the Politics of Reform in Korea · Yang, Sung Chul. South Korea's Top Bureaucratic Elites 1948-1993: Their Recruitment Patterns and Modal Characteristics · Lee, Chuiwoo. Talking about Korean Legal Culture III.Social Movements, Civil Society and the State · Sinn, Myung-soon. Effectiveness of Political Protest · Callahan' Wiliiam A. Comparing the Discourse of Popular Politics in Korea and China: from Civil Society to Social Movements · Lim, Hyun Jin & Paek Woon Seon. State Autonomy in Modern Korea: Instrumental Possibilities and Structural Limits · Kirn, Seung-Kuk. The Formation of Civil Society · Han, Sang Jin. Public Sphere and Democracy in Korea IV. South-North Relations · Kwak, Tae-hwan. Stalemated Inter-Korean Unification Dialogue: Issue and Perspectives · Koh, Byung-Chul. Structure of Conflict between the Two Koreas · Kang, Sung-Hack. The Steps to Confidence-Building for Disarmament between North and · Yang, Sung Chul. lmplications of Gerrnan Unification f'or Korea V. International Relations Surrounding the Korean Peninsula · Lewis, John W. Defining the Strategic Context in Asia Regional Change and the Prospects for Peace in Korea · Han, Sung-joo. Korean-American Relations during the Post World War II Period · Kihl, Young Whan. US. Policy and Korea's Future