[KS] Naming Kwangju, May 1980

don kirk kirkdon at yahoo.com
Wed Nov 16 06:00:26 EST 2011


I wouldn't brush away anything, and the term "revolt" by any definition in any dictionary is not one of "disrespct." Let historians and political "scientists" (yes, those quote marks might suggest a certain lack of respect) go on and on. All I'm saying is the Kwangju revolt was the Kwangju revolt -- an act of "resistance," an "uprising," no doubt, that culminated in a "massacre.". All of that is encompassed in the neutral, factual word, "revolt."
Don.
 
 
--- On Tue, 11/15/11, Frank Hoffmann <hoffmann at koreaweb.ws> wrote:


From: Frank Hoffmann <hoffmann at koreaweb.ws>
Subject: Re: [KS] Naming Kwangju, May 1980
To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 1:29 PM


Excuse me. But I find that particular explanation (below) close to the edge of being disrespectful; this is by no means a "plain and simple" issue. It very well does make a difference what wording we choose, and--as was well explained here--one can argue for various terms and use various terms (even 'rebellion,' *if* explained and possibly redefined). But in choosing a term you sure do make an interpretative historical, political and thereby also moral statement about the historical event, the people involved on all sides, and certainly also about yourself and your world view. Please do not brush away the reasons why this has been one of the central issues in historian's (and not just historian's) debates over the past decades by saying that it is a simple issue.


Best,
Frank



> That "usual" definition may be true, but there's no question the Chun regime was the authority whether you liked it or not. I'm aware that academics love to quibble over the word, but nonethless you can't get away from it. It's not meant as approbation of the regime, or criticism of the rebels (you may not like that word either). It's just what it was, plain and simple, regardless of the nature of the regime and the response.
> Don


--
--------------------------------------
Frank Hoffmann
http://koreaweb.ws

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