[KS] Juche Thought

Andre Schmid andre.schmid at utoronto.ca
Tue May 29 14:59:17 EDT 2012


Dear Prof. Boyton,
On the appeal of Juche in the 1970s, one might look at the case of  
Guyana, which in the 1970s under the leadership of Linden Burnham  
developed a close relationship with North Korea. I once had a student  
write a senior thesis on this topic; he showed quite convincingly that  
the north Korea model appealed greatly to a leadership that faced  
social unrest, a failing economy and a military threat from next door  
(Venezuela). North Korea in that period appealed as a postcolonial  
country that had developed rapidly, ostensibly through its 'self- 
reliant' policies. What is most remarkable is that among the many  
advisors that arrived to Guyana were experts in the mass-games  - this  
was precisely the type of popular discipline they hoped to instill in  
their population. Apparently, many Guyanese of a certain generation  
recall -- fondly or not, I'm not aware -- the childhood experience of  
spending hours drilling for their own mass games.

Perhaps the gruel was not so thin as we often think today.

Andre Schmid



On 28-May-12, at 1:52 AM, Robert S Boynton wrote:

> I've been an enthusiastic consumer of this listserv for the past two  
> years, and although I
> have found it extremely helpful and informative, I've never posted  
> before. I'm finishing writing
> a book about North Korea's abduction project in the 1970s and 1980s,  
> and am having trouble
> writing a chapter having to do with the Yodogo hijackers, juche  
> study groups and juche thought.
>
> My problem is that I can't find a way to explain the allure that  
> juche has for some people, especially
> young Japanese in the 1970s. I'm sure that leftist enthusiasm for  
> the North Korean experiment played a role,
> but it couldn't have been that entirely. The juche ideas I've  
> encountered have seemed like pretty thin gruel, and
> I was hoping someone could direct me to literature or individuals  
> who could hep me understand why some
> people have felt compelled to change their lives and become  
> followers of juche.
>
> I'm familiar with BR Meyers argument that juche is little more than  
> philosophical nonsense produced purely
> for export. Perhaps it is, but I'd like to understand why some have  
> found it worth importing. Thank you. I welcome any
> responses either via the listserv, or to my email, which is bellow.
> -- 
> Robert S. Boynton
> Director of Literary Reportage Concentration
> Associate Professor
> Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute
> New York University
> 20 Cooper Square
> New York, NY 10003
> robert.boynton at nyu.edu
> 212-998-7594
>
> TOKYO CELL NUMBER: 080-3413-2370
>

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