[KS] Fulbright Forum

Horace H. Underwood hhu at fulbright.or.kr
Mon Mar 8 20:32:22 EST 1999


Dear Fellow Koreanists:

I posted this message yesterday.  I received some feedback that as it was in
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format it could not be read by all browsers.  I am trying to send this in
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Horace H. Underwood, Executive Director
Korean-American Educational Commission (Fulbright)
Seoul, Korea
hhu at fulbright.or.kr

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FULBRIGHT FORUM!


Fulbright in Seoul (the Korean American Educational Commission)

is pleased to invite you to attend the spring semester's first Fulbright
Forum,

on Wednesday, March 17, 1999, at 6:30 p.m.




James Freda, current Fulbright grantee and dissertation researcher from
UCLA, will speak on:

 "Critical Space in 18th century Korea: a post-national reading of Pukhak
texts."



Modern narratives of Korean history look to the 18C for evidence of Korea's
own, indigeneous proto-modernity and proto-capitalism. In this sense, Pukhak
texts are fundamental to Korea's historical self-understanding. The 18C was
a time of rich economic and social development in China and in Korea saw the
flowering of many new economic and cultural innovations. Chief among these
was the liminal school of "Pukhak" thinkers, who travelled to China and
returned with highly progressive reform ideas--an end to Korea's traditional
Confucian status system and the promotion of an aggressive commercial and
material culture. Pukhak writers were involved in the earliest studies of
Western astronomy, composed marvellous novels, and penned scathing critiques
of 18C Korea. These are fascinating and enjoyable texts in their own right.

But a close appreciation of the texts so fundamental to Korea's historical
self-understanding reveals a radical critical strategy--they sought to open
a space in the narrow world of ideas of 18C Korea and, if allowed, promise
to open a space for imaging a present not so dominated by the logic of the
market and the nation.

The talk promises a voyage from the site of present-day Korea back to the
"critical space" of Korea's 18th century, returning again--but this time
hopefully to a present with broader horizons and more open
trajectories--carrying with us a sensibility truer to the spirit of these
texts than their nationalist, modernist reading has thus far allowed.

English translations of a few key short stories will be provided.
We welcome all Fulbrighters to the Forum, both senior lecturers and junior
researchers, as well as Board Members, Fulbright alumni, Peace Corps alumni,
Korean studies scholars, foreign graduate students, and other friends of
Korea and members of the Fulbright family.

As the Forum takes place on St. Patrick's Day, we hope many friends will
come to enjoy the talk, the food (the famous Fulbright Forum
hors-d'oeuvres!), and the liquid refreshment.  Fulbright acquired a dozen
varieties of European and American beer at the Embassy Club closing, all of
which need to be finished before they go bad.

Place: Fulbright offices

Date: Wednesday, March 17, 1999

Time: 6:30 p.m.

See you on the 17th.

(RSVP: Miss Park, 732-7922)


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