[KS] Publication Announcement: Korea Journal, vol. 51, no. 1

Korea Journal kj at unesco.or.kr
Tue Apr 12 21:59:11 EDT 2011




Dear list members, 
 
We are pleased to announce the publication of the latest issue of Korea Journal (vol. 51, no. 1). This issue is devoted to the Horak debate, a Neo-Confucian polemic among Confucian scholars of Joseon in the eighteenth century. The debate is known as one of three major philosophical debates in the Joseon era, along with the Four-Seven (sadan chiljeong) debate in the sixteenth century and the Theory of Mind (simseol) debate in the nineteenth century. In response to changes in Northeast Asia such as the Ming-Qing dynastic transition in China and the formation of the Edo bakufu in Japan, as well as in efforts to cope with the aftermath of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598), intellectuals of eighteenth-century Joseon began to seek a new social paradigm. Consequently, a majority of them resorted to Korean Neo-Confucianism, which was established by Yi Hwang and Yi I in the sixteenth century. However, as they approached the Neo-Confucian tenets established by Zhu Xi with different perspectives, they were divided into the Seoul-based Nak-ron group and the Chungcheong-based Ho-ron group. They engaged in an intense debate surrounding the explanations of human mind, society, and nature based on the Neo-Confucian doctrines of li 理 (“principle”) and qi 氣 (“material force”). The four papers in this issue each approach the Horak debate in different ways and provide significant contributions to furthering our understanding of this historic academic exchange.
The first paper by Lee Kyungku provides a general overview of the history of the Horak debate. Lee analyzes Horak scholars’ philosophical ideas in light of contemporary political backgrounds. 
Cho Sung-san’s paper focuses on Nak-ron principles. Cho discusses the development of Nak-ron ideas as a reaction to the then popular trend of classic revivalism (bokgojuui 復古主義) and how these ideas influenced the literature and art produced by Nak-ron scholars and artists. His paper ends with an analysis of the reasons behind the eventual decline of the Horak debate.
In the third paper, Hong Jung Geun delves into one of the primary topics of the Horak debate over the similarity or differences between the morality of humans and animals (inmulseong dongi ron 人物性同異論). The main points of Ho-ron and Nak-ron opinions and the development of each position are explained in detail.
Finally, Lee Cheon Sung's paper explores the topic of mibal 未發, at the center of which lies the concept of the mind-heart. Lee uses the ideas of Han Won-jin and Yi Gan, representative scholars of Ho-ron and Nakron, respectively, to illustrate the ideological differences surrounding the notion of the mind-heart. 
 
In addition, three papers selected from submissions by a thorough peer review process are included.
 
The contents of the issue are as follows: 
 
Special Topic: The Horak Debate in Eighteenth-Century Joseon
 
CHOI Young-Jin / [On this topic] The Horak Debate in Eighteenth-Century Joseon
LEE Kyungku / The Horak Debate from the Reign of King Sukjong to King Sunjo
CHO Sung-san / Discursive Structures and Cultural Features of Nak-ron Thought in Late Joseon Korea
HONG Jung Geun / Is the Morality of Human Beings Superior to the Morality of Non-Human Beings? Debate over Human versus Animal Nature in the Joseon Period
LEE Cheon Sung / Philosophical Implications of the Discussion of Mibal in the Horak Debate of the Late Joseon Period
 
ARTICLES
 
PARK Daejae / War and Ritual in Ancient Korea: From the Bronze Age to the Three Kingdoms Era
Youngseok MOON / Sociological Implications of the Roman Catholic Conversion Boom in Korea

Soon-yang KIM / Configuring the New Topography of Korea’s Professional Interest Group Politics: An Investigation into the Declining Power of Organized Medicine in Health Politics  

We would like to take this opportunity to remind list members that we welcome any submissions relevant to the field of Korean Studies. 
 
Best regards,
 
Korea Journal
Tel: 82-2-6958-4262/4110
Fax: 82-2-6958-4252
Web site: www.ekoreajournal.net
 





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