Engaging Differences in Chosŏn Korea: A Post-Ming Context

Abstract

For more than half a century, modern Korean scholarship has sought to counter the colonialist narrative of Japanese historiography by tying certain changes in pre-modern Korea to an orientation towards ‘the modern.’ The Chosŏn dynasty (1392-1910) was regarded as the endpoint of premodern Korea and the beginning of modern Korea. In intellectual history, this supposition has reinforced such themes as the discovery of protonational identity, new streams of thought against or beyond Confucianism, and the growth of popular culture. This paradigm, however, places a premium on certain intellectuals whom Korean historians expect to better represent a self-motivated consciousness towards modern Korea. Some scholars underscore the intellectual strands of marginalized elite groups in