Eurocentrism and Development in Korea

Jongtae Kim is Humanities Korea (HK) Research Professor in the Asiatic Research Institute at Korea University, Seoul, Korea.

• CHAPTER 1Introduction: What Is the Discourse of Seonjinguk?PART I (Chs. 2-4)From "Munmyeong" (Civilization) to "Baljeon" (Development): The 1880s – The 1950sCHAPTER 2The Origins of Korea’s Eurocentrism: Gaehwa and Munmyeong Discourses from the 1880s to the 1930sCHAPTER 3The Politics of Modern Discourse of Civilization in Colonized Korea: The 1910s and the 1920sCHAPTER 4Competition between Civilization and Development Discourses: The 1950sPART II (Chs. 5-7)The Rise of Developmentalism and Its Current State: The 1960s – The PresentCHAPTER 5The Rise of Developmentalism and Seonjinguk Discourse: The 1960s and the 1970sCHAPTER 6Change in the Discourse of Seonjinguk: The 1980s and the 1990sCHAPTER 7The Discursive Structure of Korea’s Developmentalism and the Mobilization of Nation: Geundaehwa (Modernization), Segyehwa (Globalization), and Seonjinhwa (Becoming Advanced)PART III (Chs. 8-9)National and Regional Identities and Mutual Perceptions in the Development EraCHAPTER 8A Comparison of Development Discourses in Korea, China, and Japan: National Identities and Mutual PerceptionsCHAPTER 9A Comparison of Regional Identities between Northeast Asia and Europe: The Constructions of "Self" and "Others"CHAPTER 10Conclusion: Beyond the Discourse of Seonjinguk

This is an important critique of west-centric progress worship in South Korea and a profound analysis of different modernization and development paths in East Asia, with comparisons of South Korea, Japan and China. A significant contribution to the East Asia literature and a good read. Jan Nederveen Pieterse, University of California, Santa BarbaraThis book keenly unravels very significant and under-represented aspects of Korean identity and world view in the modern era. One may barely grasp the Korean society and its development without reading this elaborate work.Gil-Sung Park, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor of Sociology, Korea University