[KS] Important new works in modern Korean history

[Afostercarter at aol.com]

Could I add a footnote to this? Another new work in the same area,
which may have had less attention so far - being written by a Russian
in Australia, and brought out by a small British publisher - is:

Andrei LANKOV. From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: the Formation
of North Korea, 1945-1960. London: C Hurst & Co, Nov 2002.
pp xviii, 202. Price £35 pounds, hardback.  www.hurstpub.co.uk

Dr Lankov has worked extensively in the Russian archives.
I have yet to see Charles Armstrong's book, but it sounds as if they
may complement one another. They would surely make a fine pair
for a joint review.

Those unfamiliar with Andrei Lankov and his work can find a 
selection, in English and Russian, on the very useful North Korea
website maintained by his compatriot and fellow-Antipodean
resident, Leonid Pletnov. The URL is:
http://members.fortunecity.com/leonid7/lankov.htm
(It can be slow to load, in my experience)

Finally, season's greetings to all Listeners!

Aidan FC

AIDAN FOSTER-CARTER
Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds University
17 Birklands Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD18 3BY, UK
tel:    +44(0)  1274  588586        mobile:  +44(0)  7970  741307 
fax:    +44(0)  1274  773663        Email: afostercarter at aol.com    


__________

In a message dated 12/17/02 01:21:54 GMT Standard Time, gkl1 at columbia.edu 
writes:


> Subj:[KS] Important new works in modern Korean history 
> Date:12/17/02 01:21:54 GMT Standard Time
> From:<A HREF="mailto:gkl1 at columbia.edu">gkl1 at columbia.edu</A>
> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws">Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws</A>
> To:<A HREF="mailto:Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws">Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws</A>
> Sent from the Internet 
> 
> 
> 
>     I wish to bring to the attention of the list two new works in
> modern Korean history that I don't think have been mentioned yet on the
> list.  In fact it is a sad thing that so little has been mentioned on this
> list recently.
>     The first is by Andre Schmid, associate professor of East Asian
> Studies at the University of Toronto.  It's called <Korea Between Empires,
> 1895-1919>, published by Columbia University Press (2002, 369 pp.).  It is
> a very good book on the construction of Korean nationalism by journalist-
> intellectuals during the period following the Sino-Japanese War up through
> the early years of the Japanese colonial regime in Korea.  It is
> remarkable how much of their project still inhabits the heart and soul of
> Korean nationalism today, especially in South Korea.  Schmid's book really
> is an excellent introduction to the subject and should be welcomed by all
> who want to understand where today's Korean nationalism started from.  It
> also is a remarkable evocation of the world of the TaeHan Cheguk, from
> 1895 until its end in 1910.  No other book covering that period touches
> very much on the materials or the perspective that Andre Schmid deals with
> here.
>     Appearing more recently is a comprehensive history of the origins
> of the DPRK state and its society by Charles Armstrong, <The North Korean
> Revolution, 1945-1950>, published by Cornell University Press, 265 pp.
> (It's listed on the Cornellpress website as a Fall 2002 release, but the
> publication data page in the book itself says, "First published 2003...")
> This is a superb book on the prehistory as well as the early history of
> the DPRK.  It accords due respect to such prominent predecessors as Suh
> Dae-Sook and Scalapino & Lee, but is really new in its formulations and
> approach.  Armstrong doesn't spend too much time on the Soviets, nor on
> all the ins and outs of the politics at the top; rather it concentrates on
> society and culture, and the changes at the bottom.  At the same time it
> does not neglect issues that relate powerfully to the dilemmas and
> problems--and the challenges--of the DPRK today.  The core of the book is
> based on close research in original sources found in the archive of
> documents and materials captured by U.S forces in P'yongyang in late 1950,
> now available to scholars in the U.S. National Archives.
>     Both of these books are essential additions to any reading list
> for modern Korean history courses.
> 
> Gari Ledyard
> King Sejong Professor of Korean Studies Emeritus
> Columbia University in the City of New York
> 
> 

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