<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:bookman old style,new york,times,serif;font-size:14pt"><div>That topic may be "commercially unpromising" but is hardly "obscure" -- it probably says a lot about the evolution of modern Korea, including the rise of the chaebol and much else. Sounds fascinating (if a bit heavy going).<br>Donald Kirk<br></div><div style="font-family: bookman old style,new york,times,serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> Vladimir Tikhonov <vladimir.tikhonov@ikos.uio.no><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Mon, August 9, 2010 2:01:07 PM<br><b><span style="font-weight:
bold;">Subject:</span></b> [KS] Tikhonov - new book in English<br></font><br>
Dear colleagues,<br><br>sorry for an improper attempt at self-promotion, but since nobody else is likely to do this, I would like to announce the publication of my English monograph on Korean Social Darwinism, entitled "Social Darwinism and Nationalism in Korea: the Beginnings (1880s-1910s). 'Survival' as an Ideology of Korean Modernity". It was printed by Brill - really kind of them, given the enormous difficulties any perspective author with such an obscure and commercially unpromising topic would encounter in negotiating with publishers in our harsh times - and I will allow myself to quote their presentation of the book's content:<br><br><span>"The book deals with the influences Social Darwinism exerted upon Korea’s modern ideologies in their formative period - especially nationalism – after its introduction to Korea in 1883 and before Korea’s annexation by Japan in 1910. It shows that the belief in the “survival of the fittest” as the
overarching cosmic and social principle constituted the main underpinning for the modernity discourses in Korea in the 1890s-1900s. Unlike the dominant ideology of traditional Korea, Neo-Confucianism, which was largely promoted by the scholar-official elite, Social Darwinism appealed to the modern intellectuals, but also to the entrepreneurs, providing the justification for their profit-seeking activities as part of the “national survival” project. As an ideology of Korea’s nascent capitalism, Social Darwinism in Korea could, however, hardly be called a liberal creed: it clearly prioritized “national survival” over individual rights and interests." (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=210&pid=41692">http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=210&pid=41692</a>).</span><br><br>While there is already some work done on this topic in South Korean scholarship - monographs by ChOn PokhUi (1996) and my good colleague
Pak SOngjin (2003), as well as my own monograph in Korean (2005) - this new book is the first ever take on the subject in English. I feel really sorry for the price (€ 97.00), but that is something we authors have little influence upon.<br><br>Best greetings,<br><br>Vladimir (Pak Noja)<br><br><br><br>-- Vladimir Tikhonov,<br>Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages,<br>Faculty of Humanities,<br>University of Oslo,<br>P.b. 1010, Blindern, 0315, Oslo, Norway.<br>Fax: 47-22854828; Tel: 47-22857118<br><span>Personal web page: <a target="_blank" href="http://folk.uio.no/vladimit/">http://folk.uio.no/vladimit/</a></span><br><br><span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.geocities.com/volodyatikhonov/volodyatikhonov.html">http://www.geocities.com/volodyatikhonov/volodyatikhonov.html</a></span><br>Electronic classrooms: East Asian/Korean Society and Politics:<br><span> <a
target="_blank" href="http://folk.uio.no/vladimit/eastasianstudies.htm">http://folk.uio.no/vladimit/eastasianstudies.htm</a></span><br><span> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.geocities.com/uioeastasia2002/main.html">http://www.geocities.com/uioeastasia2002/main.html</a></span><br> East Asian/Korean Religion and Philosophy:<br><br><span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.geocities.com/uioeastasia2003/classroom.html">http://www.geocities.com/uioeastasia2003/classroom.html</a></span><br><br></div></div>
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