Narratives of Nation-Building in Korea

This book offers new insight on how key historical texts and events in Korea's history have contributed to the formation of the nation's collective consciousness. The work is woven around the unifying premise that particular narrative texts or events that extend back to the premodern period have remained important, albeit transformed, over the modern period and into the contemporary period. The author explores the relationship between gender and nationalism by showing how key narrative topics, such as tales of virtuous womanhood, have been employed, transformed, and re-deployed to make sense of particular national events. Connecting these narratives and historic events to contemporary Korean society, Jager reveals how these "sites" -- or reference points -- were also successfully re-deployed in the context of the division of Korea and the construction of Korea's modern consciousness. Selected Contents: Part I: Modern Identities1. The Violence of Civilization2. Aesthetic Ideology and the NationPart II: Women3. Signs of Love for the Nation4. Devoted Wives, Divided NationPart III: Men5. Park Chung-hee's Agrarian Heroes6. Students and the Redemption of History7. Monumental Histories8. Epilogue: Kim Dae Jung's Triumph

Jager, Sheila Miyoshi

Introduction; Part 1 Modern Identities; Chapter 1 Resurrecting Manhood: Sin Ch'ae-ho; Chapter 2 The Quest for Feeling: Yi Kwang-su; Part 2 Women; Chapter 3 Signs of Love for the Nation; Chapter 4 Devoted Wives, Divided Nation; Part 3 Men; Chapter 5 Park Chung-hee's Agrarian Heroes; Chapter 6 Students and the Redemption of History; Chapter 7 Monumental Histories; Chapter 8 Epilogue, Kim Dae-jung's Triumph;