Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 616
•
978-1-5381-2899-2 • eBook • November 2019 • $75.00 • (£58.00)
Michael J. Seth is professor of history at James Madison University.
List of Primary Source Readings Preface to the Third Edition Acknowledgments Maps Introduction 1 The Origins The Koreans Early Inhabitants The Age of Rice Farming Begins Sources for Early Korea Chosŏn The Chinese Commanderies Chinese Commanderies and Their Neighbors: The Northern Peoples Chinese Commanderies and Their Neighbors: The Southern Peoples Politics of the Third Century Korea in Global Perspective: 5,000 Years of History Notes 2 The Period of the Three Kingdoms, Fourth Century to 676 The Emergence of the Three Kingdoms The Wa and Mimana Korea and Northeast Asia in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries Culture and Society of the Three Kingdoms The Bone-Ranks, the Hwabaek, and the Hwarang The Changing Environment of the Late Sixth and Seventh Centuries The Unification of Korea under Silla Korea in Global Perspective: State Formation Notes 3 Late Silla, 676 to 935 The Peninsular Kingdom Consolidation of Central Monarchical Rule under Silla, 676–780 Silla and the Chinese Model Supporting the Silla State Silla Society Religion and Aristocratic CultureSilla and Its Neighbors Parhae The Decline of Silla The Later Three Kingdoms Korea in Global Perspective: Silla’s Rise and FallNotes 4 Koryŏ, 935 to 1170 The New Koryŏ State Koryŏ in East Asia Internal Politics, 935–1170 Koryŏ Culture The Samguk Sagi Koryŏ Society Korea in Global Perspective: Koryŏ’s Examination System Notes 5 Military Rulers and Mongol Invaders, 1170 to 1392 Military Rule Sŏn Buddhism Korea, Japan, and Feudal EuropeThe Mongol Invasions The Legacy of the Mongol Period Late Koryŏ SocietyThe End of the KoryŏLate Koryŏ Culture The Rise of Neo-Confucianism Korea in Global Perspective: The Mongols and Korea Notes 6 The Neo-Confucian Revolution and the Chosŏn State, 1392 to the Eighteenth Century Establishing the Yi DynastyThe Neo-Confucianist ProjectThe Chosŏn State The Censorate and the Classics Mat Historians The Examination System Education Agricultural Improvements and the State Military and Foreign Affairs The Japanese and Manchu Invasions Competition for Power among the Elite Chosŏn Politics in Perspective Korea in Global Perspective: Chosŏn as an Ideologically Driven State Notes 7 Chosŏn Society The Family Women during the Yi Dynasty Social Structure Slaves and Outcastes Crime and PunishmentReligious Beliefs and Practices Philosophy Arts, Literature, and Science Technology and InventionsKorea in Global Perspective: Women in KoreaKorea in Global Perspective: Chosŏn’s Social Hierarchy Notes 8 Late Chosŏn, Early Eighteenth Century to 1876 The Politics of Late Chosŏn Late Chosŏn and the Confucian World Order Korean Travelers to China and Japan Taxation and Reform Agriculture Commerce and Trade Cultural Flowering of Late Chosŏn Sirhak Everyday Life Korea in the Nineteenth Century: The “Hermit Kingdom” Internal Problems in the Nineteenth Century Korea in Global Perspective: The Hermit Kingdom? Notes 9 Korea in the Age of Imperialism, 1876 to 1910 Early Contacts with the West The Opening of Korea Early Reforms, 1876–1884 The Chinese Decade, 1885–1894 The Tonghak RebellionKabo Reforms The Russian Ascendency and the Independence Club The Russo-Japanese War and the Protectorate The Protectorate, 1905–1910 Korea in Transition Korea in Global Perspective: Korea in the Age of Imperialism Notes 10 Colonial Korea, 1910 to 1945 The March First Movement The Post–March First Period Cultural Ferment of the 1920s Moderate and Radical Nationalism Economic Development Modernity and Social Change Rural Society Wartime Colonialism, 1931–1945 Forced Assimilation A Society in Turmoil: The Legacy of Colonial Rule Korea in Global Perspective: The Korean Nationalist MovementKorea in Global Perspective: Korea’s Colonial Experience Notes 11 Division and War, 1945 to 1953 The End of Colonial Rule in Korea North Korea under Soviet Occupation South Korea under U.S. Occupation Trusteeship Establishing a Separate Regime in the North The Beginnings of a New Regime in the SouthToward Division The Republic of Korea The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea On the Eve of the Korean War The Korean WarThe Impact of the Korean War Korea in Global Perspective: Divided Countries Korea in Global Perspective: The Korean War Notes 312 North Korea: Recovery, Transformation, and Decline, 1953 to 1993 The Divergent Paths of the Two Koreas North Korea’s Recovery North Korea’s Great Leap Forward The Political Consolidation of Kim Il Sung and His Manchurian Guerrilla Comrades Creating a Monolithic StateThe Cult of the Kim Family Kim Il Sung’s Juche Society Everyday Life Foreign Policy Economic ProblemsKorea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Communist Country Notes 13 South Korea: From Poverty to Prosperity, 1953 to 1997 The Syngman Rhee Years, 1953–1960The Democratic Experiment, 1960–1961 The Military Coup Economic Transformation Economic Growth under Park Chung Hee Chaebŏls Transformation of the Countryside Economic Development in the 1980s Explaining South Korea’s Economic Miracle Education Korea in Global Perspective: Educational Development Korea in Global Perspective: Economic Development Notes 14 South Korea: Creating a Democratic Society, 1953 to 1997 Military Authoritarianism The Yushin Era, 1971–1979 Seoul Spring, 1979–1980 The Fifth Republic 1987: A Political Turning Point Transition to Democracy Understanding the Democratic Turn Student Activism Organized Labor Social and Cultural Transition Korea in Global Perspective: Democratization Notes 15 Contemporary North Korea, 1993 to 2019 In Decline: A Period of Crisis Under Kim Jong Il Ideology Famine Crisis and SummitryTentative Reforms Confrontations and the Policy of Survival North Korea under Kim Jong Un Reviving the Past, Moving toward an Uncertain FutureNorth Korea and the Prospects for Unification Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea’s Famine Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Failed State Notes 16 Contemporary South Korea, 1997 to 2019 Return to Civilian Government Economic Crisis and Recovery Domestic Politics Foreign Policy Rethinking Reunification A Society Undergoing Rapid Change Changing Gender Relations, Changing Families Ethnic Homogeneity and Multiculturalism Facing History and Preserving HeritageNew Crises and New ProblemsKorea in Global Perspective: South Korea’s Place in the WorldNotes Conclusion Appendix: RomanizationGlossary of Korean Words Annotated Selected Bibliography Index About the Author
For Seth (James Madison Univ.) new scholarship warranted a third edition of this volume. . . Each chapter is devoted to political and economic history with “asides” on social or cultural impacts, making the book useful for a general understanding of the region within concise parameters. . . Chapter essays on global perspectives are very well done, and the author’s clear writing style provides an excellent means of examining Korea’s history without being overburdened by excessive detail. The text is further supported by the inclusion of numerous primary sources and chapter notes as well as an annotated bibliography. Chapter 3 on the kingdom of Late Silla demonstrates Seth’s ability to write a strong historical analysis of the era, introducing historians’ sources and questions. Unfortunately, his later chapters do not reach the same level. . . Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates.
— Choice Reviews
Michael Seth’s text remains the most accessible overview of Korean history. Going beyond the platitudes about the ‘land of the morning calm’ or the ‘hermit kingdom,’ it is a useful and clear guide to the Korean peninsula’s turbulent past.— John Lie, University of California, Berkeley
Whenever I'm asked to recommend a textbook on Korean history, I always put Michael Seth’s A Concise History of Korea at the top of my list. Now in its third edition, the book provides the most up-to-date survey of Korean history, introducing fresh research and interpretations. Seth places Korea clearly within the East Asian world and highlights the unique aspects of Korea’s past. As with the previous edition, Michael Seth succeeds in this history in every way.— Edward Shultz, emeritus, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Michael Seth’s A Concise History of Korea remains the best overview of Korean history in the English language. Both thorough and readable, it is the ideal book to use in undergraduate-level Korean history courses. It is also great for anybody who wants to know more about almost any aspect of Korean history.— Gregg Brazinsky, The George Washington University
Historical maps trace the changes in the region over time
Photos illustrate key themes in each chapter
Primary sources at the end of each chapter
Timelines at the end of each chapter
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