Status and challenges of late Joseon research in 2021~2022 - Transitional Efforts to Set a New Direction for Structural History Beyond Internal Development Theory -

Abstract

In this article, we have examined the research trends in late Joseon history published in Korean academia between 2021 and 2022, focusing on major papers. In the process of reviewing the research achievements by field, we summarized the following characteristics.BR First, studies that reconsider or criticize major concepts, that have been viewed through the lens of internal development theory, have been published. Second, as the international community’s interest in climate crises and disasters has recently increased, papers on epidemics, fuel consumption, and animal ecology have also been published in late Joseon studies. Third, many papers on the history of ideas and culture were published between 2021 and 2022 due to the excavation of literature and artifacts and the revitalization of research in adjacent fields.BR Even if the somewhat sporadic individual studies do not paint a coherent picture of the late Joseon Dynasty, if individual case studies would be solidly accumulated, it will be an important nourishment for the structural understanding of Joseon society. However, long-term efforts should be made to create an academic forum for sharing the problems and arguments of the vast amount of empirical research that pours out every year, and also try to create a healthy academic ecosystem that considers the next generation.