Korean History: A Comparison of Accounts

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at the perspective of four different authors on the era dating from approximately 892 until around 1592 on the Korean Peninsula, in order to highlight how biased historical explanation actually is. The paper examines a text published by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO in Seoul, Roger Tennant's book "A History of Korea," Martina Deuchler's "The Confucian Transformation of Korea: A Study of Society and Ideology" and Han Hee-sook's journal article "Women's Life during the Choson Dynasty". The paper concludes that Martina Deuchler's book offers the richest analysis and most persuasive historical account of the changing status of Korean women.

Outline:
Introduction
Broadly Comparing Historical Accounts
Complex Accounts of Korean women: Deuchler and Han
Chinyeong
Kyongguk Taejon
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"However this project demands a much closer focus in order to be effective as an exercise in historical comparison. Therefore, we will look specifically at the issue of how and why the status of women changed in Korea from Silla times through to early Choson. This examination will not be a simple narrative of the social shifts that impacted the lives of Korean women during this time period. Rather, we will identify different explanations of why that change occurred, and consider different statements about which changes were the most important. It will become clear that various authors bring their own ideological agenda to the telling of history, and that the act of omission constitutes a major tool in shaping the events of the past."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Deuchler, Martina (1992) The Confucian Transformation of Korea: A Study of Society and Ideology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Han, Hee-sook (2004) 'Women's Life during the Chos n Dynasty', International Journal of Korean History, Vol. 6, Dec. 2004, 113-161.
• Sohn, Pow-Key, Kim Chol-choon, and Hong Yi-sup (1970) The History of Korea. Seoul: Korean National Commission for UNESCO.
• Tennant, Roger (1996) A History of Korea. New York: Columbia University Press.

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