[KS] Changes in Chosŏn period costumes

[Frank Hoffmann]

Dear All:

Another question:
Are there any studies about CHANGES that occurred over time in Chosŏn 
period costumes?

I understand that this is probably not exactly the kind of research 
that folklorists, historians, or other researchers in or outside of 
Korea would get much credit for (not since the 1990s anyway), but it is 
still a fascinating area. Works like those by Professors Deuchler, 
Duncan, and others point to all the major social and cultural changes 
in the 'building' of Chosŏn. I may have well missed that (!), but are 
there any works  -- books or articles or dissertations -- that deal 
with how such changes are reflected visually when it comes to costumes? 
Most people seem to view Chosŏn period costumes as something 
"unchangeable," "stable," and an expression of a "monolithic system" -- 
yet, as we know the system was not as monolithic. When seeing something 
that seems unusual or even funny (as it does not conform with what we 
perceive as the norm for a certain period -- may it be the 1920s or the 
stone age), then we often tend to hold the artist responsible for his 
allegedly "wrong" perception and depiction. 

What I especially wonder as regards to the Chosŏn period, as I begin to 
see some visual proof for that, is if there were changes in costumes 
after the Manchu established the Qing Dynasty in China, and after the 
first contacts with Westerners (and/or after closer contacts to the 
Japanese) in the 1880s. 

Any leads will be much appreciated.


Best wishes,
Frank






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Frank Hoffmann
http://koreanstudies.com