[KS] Korea's Confucian Tradition

[Koen De Ceuster]

For what it's worth, and admitting that I have always talked with some
trepidation about Korea's Confucian tradition, not being too sure about how
to define it, I would like to add to Mike's comments a question: would it be
a non-starter to begin our investigation into Korea's Confucian tradition
with the statement that it is an invented tradition?

Indeed, as Mike mentions, Korea's Confucian tradition came under fire from
reform liberals at the end of the 19th Century. To them, Confucianism was an
impediment to 'modernization.' Confucianism reappeared on the intellectual
horizon during the Park Chung Hee era, as an asset, rather than the
liability it had been considered to be before.

While the packaging may be the same, it is doubtful the content was/is
(entirely) the same.
How about considering Confucianism a trope? And should we not be attentive
to the (ideological?) motivations of those who stress the Confucianness of
Korean society?

Koen De Ceuster

-----Original Message-----
From: Koreanstudies-admin at koreaweb.ws
[mailto:Koreanstudies-admin at koreaweb.ws]On Behalf Of Michael Robinson
Sent: dinsdag 11 februari 2003 0:12
To: Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
Subject: Re: [KS] Re: Koreanstudies digest, Vol 1 #523 - 3 msgs

Dear Professor Hahm:

I read with interest your posting on Neo-Confucianism and its influences on
Korean society.  But I'm a bit bewildered by your assertion that Koreans
have only recently absorbed the value (concept) of private property.  I'm
sure the elite land owning class of Choson understood the issue of my
property and yours.  And this would go for anyone else who was lucky enough
to own landAs for the last 50 years of reform fever. I would push such
fervorback to the late 19th century. Certainly the debate over the  obvious
changes occurring in Korean society go back to before the 1910 divide.
Indeed it started with a fairly outright and unanimous denunciation of the
evils of Confucianism....most evils of which were not part of Confucianism
in the first place.  This brings me to a last point.  As Confucianism has
operated as an important reference point in Korean society for the last 400
years or so, how is it now possible to extract a Confucian value or its
"influence" on another valuewhen it has become so inextricably woven in with
other ideas and values for such a long period. Just because the parlance of
some important interpersonal and spiritual constructs are from the Confucian
canon doesn't make them a purely Confucian expression as syncretized in
Korean society over half a millennium.

Mike Robinson.