[KS] Korean Commons?

[gkl1 at columbia.edu]

Looking at my desk dictionary, "commons" appears to be a social and/or
political term referring to the non-aristocratic social class and
political institutions related to to it. In British public schools and
colleges it is the term for what in the U.S. would be call a dining
hall. I'm not sure how that would fit in with the Paektu taegan.

On the other hand, a definition applying to anatomical matters for the
word "common" reads as follows: "denoting a trunk from which two or
more arteries, veins, or nerves are given off," as in "the common
carotid arteries." THAT would appear to be an extremely apt description
of the Paektu taegan. But to use that in the plural for a single  
organic system, might be problematic since nothing is more singular  
than the taegan.

Gari Ledyard


Quoting John Eperjesi <john.eperjesi at gmail.com>:

> Hi folks,
>
> Is there a Korean concept that is equivalent to "commons?"
>
> I am interested in thinking about mountains and the Baekdu-daegan as a
> commons.  From the perspective of "San-shin" or Korean mountain worship, it
> would appear that mountains are a kind of spiritual commons.
>
> Would it be wrong to use the concept of the commons, which has a very
> specific history in England, to read Korean practices?  The struggle for
> the commons has become a global rhetoric that addresses many different
> geographical and historical situations.
>
> Any help on this would be much appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> John
>