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I took 'commons' to mean resources owned in common or shared among community members, as in the system of feudal commons in Europe. The Zhou Dynasty well-field system designated a central plot of land in the village as commons. This system was upheld as a model by Confucian scholars like Mencius, and some neo-Confucian scholars like Z<EM>hang</EM> Zai in the Song Dynasty. I'm not an expert in Korean neo-Confucianism, but it wouldn't surprise me if some Korean neo-confucian scholars in the Chosun Dynasty didn't also advocate establishment of a well field system. <BR>
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<DIV id=SkyDrivePlaceholder></DIV>> Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:25:30 -0400<BR>> From: gkl1@columbia.edu<BR>> To: koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws<BR>> Subject: Re: [KS] Korean Commons?<BR>> <BR>> Looking at my desk dictionary, "commons" appears to be a social and/or<BR>> political term referring to the non-aristocratic social class and<BR>> political institutions related to to it. In British public schools and<BR>> colleges it is the term for what in the U.S. would be call a dining<BR>> hall. I'm not sure how that would fit in with the Paektu taegan.<BR>> <BR>> On the other hand, a definition applying to anatomical matters for the<BR>> word "common" reads as follows: "denoting a trunk from which two or<BR>> more arteries, veins, or nerves are given off," as in "the common<BR>> carotid arteries." THAT would appear to be an extremely apt description<BR>> of the Paektu taegan. But to use that in the plural for a single <BR>> organic system, might be problematic since nothing is more singular <BR>> than the taegan.<BR>> <BR>> Gari Ledyard<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Quoting John Eperjesi <john.eperjesi@gmail.com>:<BR>> <BR>> > Hi folks,<BR>> ><BR>> > Is there a Korean concept that is equivalent to "commons?"<BR>> ><BR>> > I am interested in thinking about mountains and the Baekdu-daegan as a<BR>> > commons. From the perspective of "San-shin" or Korean mountain worship, it<BR>> > would appear that mountains are a kind of spiritual commons.<BR>> ><BR>> > Would it be wrong to use the concept of the commons, which has a very<BR>> > specific history in England, to read Korean practices? The struggle for<BR>> > the commons has become a global rhetoric that addresses many different<BR>> > geographical and historical situations.<BR>> ><BR>> > Any help on this would be much appreciated.<BR>> ><BR>> > Thanks,<BR>> > John<BR>> ><BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR></DIV> </div></body>
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