Kyung Moon Hwang is Professor of Korean Studies at The Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. A graduate of Oberlin College and Harvard University, his research covers the modern transformation of Korea, with a focus on state and society in the early 20th century and history disputes in the late 20th century.

• List of Chronologies and MapsBrief ChronologyMapsAcknowledgementsIntroductionNote on Romanization1. Goguryeo and Ancient Korea2. Queen Seondeok and Silla's Unification of Korea3. The Unified Silla Kingdom4. Founding of the Goryeo Dynasty5. Religion and Regionalism in the Goryeo Order6. The Mongol Overlord Period7. Goryeo-Joseon Transition8. Confucianism and the Family in the Early Joseon Era9. The Great Invasions, 1592-163610. Ideology, Family, and Nationhood in the Mid-Joseon Era11. Intellectual Opening in the Late Eighteenth Century12. Popular Culture in the Late Joseon Era13. Nineteenth-Century Unrest14. 1894, A Fateful Year15. The Great Korean Empire16. The Japanese Takeover, 1904-191817. The Long 1920s18. Nation, Culture, and Everyday Life in the Late Colonial Period19. Wartime Mobilization, 1938-4520. The Liberation Period, 1945-5021. The Korean War^rth Korea23. 1960s South Korea24. Culture and Politics in 1970s South Korea25. Monumental Life in North Korea26. South Korean Democratization27. South Korea in the 21st Century28. Epilogue: Historical Reckoning in the Two Koreas, 2010-2020.- Further ReadingsIndex.

Unique in its discussion of women and marginalized groups, it gives readers a much fuller understanding of Korean society throughout history. It offers historical depth and accuracy for university use while engaging readers with its episodic narrative. I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about Korea, past and present.