The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation

JaHyun Kim Haboush offers a compelling counternarrative to Western historiography, which ties Korea's idea of nation to the imported ideologies of modern colonialism. This book instead elevates the formative role of the conflicts that defined the second half of the Chosôn Dynasty. Re-creating the cultural and political passions that bound Chosôn society together, Haboush reclaims the root story of solidarity that helped Korea thrive well into the modern era. JaHyun Kim Haboush offers a compelling counternarrative to Western historiography, which ties Korea's idea of nation to the imported ideologies of modern colonialism. This book instead elevates the formative role of the conflicts that defined the second half of the Chosôn Dynasty. "JaHyun Kim Haboush argues that beginning with the outbreak of the Imjin War, when Japan invaded Korea in 1592, a discourse of nation emerged in Chosôn Korea (1392-1910) which continued, in a variety of forms, until the modern era. This is the first book to examine the formation of the Korean nation before the modern era. The Imjin War and the rise of the Manchu were events of monumental importance in East Asian history. The Great East Asian War escalated into a six-year regional war in which the three East Asian countries, Japan, Korea and China, fought either as allies or enemies, with a commitment of large forces, fighting on sea and land. This conflict was by far the largest war known to the world in the sixteenth century. In East Asian memory, it remained unequalled in scale until the Second World War. In Korea the Chosôn dynasty began in 1392 and persisted until 1910, and within this dynasty an idea of nation emerged and circulated. This discourse of nation shifted and intensified after the Manchu invasion in 1636. Haboush shows how this process was a visible, traceable, and documented phenomenon. The idea of a sixteenth century Korean nation is also unfamiliar in Korea. Nationalism for the most part is presented as a preexisting condition in the Imjin War, though 'strengthened' and 'heightened' by the experience. Scholars of the modernist camp subscribe to the historicism of Western historiography. They present the nationhood of Korea as a narrative of transformation, locating its arrival in the modern period, sometime in late 19th or early 20th century, under the auspices of new ideologies and visions from the West"-- Résumé de l'éditeur "JaHyun Kim Haboush argues that beginning with the outbreak of the Imjin War, when Japan invaded Korea in 1592, a discourse of nation emerged in Chosôn Korea (1392-1910) which continued, in a variety of forms, until the modern era. This is the first book to examine the formation of the Korean nation before the modern era. The Imjin War and the rise of the Manchu were events of monumental importance in East Asian history. The Great East Asian War escalated into a six-year regional war in which the three East Asian countries, Japan, Korea and China, fought either as allies or enemies, with a commitment of large forces, fighting on sea and land. This conflict was by far the largest war known to the world in the sixteenth century. In East Asian memory, it remained unequalled in scale until the Second World War. In Korea the Chosôn dynasty began in 1392 and persisted until 1910, and within this dynasty an idea of nation emerged and circulated. This discourse of nation shifted and intensified after the Manchu invasion in 1636. Haboush shows how this process was a visible, traceable, and documented phenomenon. The idea of a sixteenth century Korean nation is also unfamiliar in Korea. Nationalism for the most part is presented as a preexisting condition in the Imjin War, though 'strengthened' and 'heightened' by the experience. Scholars of the modernist camp subscribe to the historicism of Western historiography. They present the nationhood of Korea as a narrative of transformation, locating its arrival in the modern period, sometime in late 19th or early 20th century, under the auspices of new ideologies and visions from the West"--Provided by publisher The Imjin War (1592–1598) was a grueling conflict that wreaked havoc on the towns and villages of the Korean Peninsula. The involvement of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean forces, not to mention the regional scope of the war, was the largest the world had seen, and the memory dominated East Asian memory until World War II. Despite massive regional realignments, Korea's Chosôn Dynasty endured, but within its polity a new, national discourse began to emerge. Meant to inspire civilians to rise up against the Japanese army, this potent rhetoric conjured a unified Korea and intensified after the Manchu invasions of 1627 and 1636. By documenting this phenomenon, JaHyun Kim Haboush offers a compelling counternarrative to Western historiography, which ties Korea's idea of nation to the imported ideologies of modern colonialism. She instead elevates the formative role of the conflicts that defined the second half of the Chosôn Dynasty, which had transfigured the geopolitics of East Asia and introduced a national narrative key to Korea's survival. Re-creating the cultural and political passions that bound Chosôn society together during this period, Haboush reclaims the root story of solidarity that helped Korea thrive well into the modern era. The Imjin War (1592-1598) was a grueling conflict that wrecked havoc on the towns and villages of the Korean Peninsula. Yet the Chosôn Dynasty endured, and within its polity, a national discourse began to emerge. By documenting this phenomenon, JaHyun Kim Haboush separates Korea's idea of nation from the imported ideologies of modern colonialism. Instead, she connects these formative conflicts to a popular narrative that ensured Korea's survival and helped the nation thrive into the modern era Table of Contents Foreword Introduction 1. The Volunteer Army and the Discourse of Nation 2. The Volunteer Army and the Emergence of Imagined Community 3. War of Words: The Changing Nature of Literary Chinese in the Japanese Occupation 4. Language Strategy: The Emergence of a Vernacular National Space 5. The Aftermath: Dream Journeys and the Culture of Commemoration Publications by JaHyun Kim Haboush Notes Bibliography Index