Ethnic Nationalism in Korea: Genealogy, Politics, And Legacy (Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center) (Paperback)

by Gi-Wook Shin (Author)
Key Phrases: control variables age, ofnational representation, same ethnic nation, North Korea, United States, South Korea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This compelling empirical study is another important contribution from Gi-wook Shin. The sophisticated, balanced and nuanced treatment he brings to bear... will make it a valuable resource for political scientists, sociologists, cultural anthropologists, and, indeed, all who seek to understand the complex and elusive phenomenon that is nationalism."—New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies

"... one of the first scholarly works to scrutinize and historicize the ethnic nationalism that most Koreans, and observers of Korea, usually take for granted. As such, Ethnic Nationalism in Korea is a valuable, critical case study of one of the most ethnically 'pure' nation-states in the world, a study that holds many interesting and useful implications."—American Journal of Sociology

Product Description

This book explains the roots, politics, and legacy of Korean ethnic nationalism, which is based on the sense of a shared bloodline and ancestry. Belief in a racially distinct and ethnically homogeneous nation is widely shared on both sides of the Korean peninsula, although some scholars believe it is a myth with little historical basis. Finding both positions problematic and treating identity formation as a social and historical construct that has crucial behavioral consequences, this book examines how such a blood-based notion has become a dominant source of Korean identity, overriding other forms of identity in the modern era. It also looks at how the politics of national identity have played out in various contexts in Korea: semicolonialism, civil war, authoritarian politics, democratization, territorial division, and globalization.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (March 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080475408X
• ISBN-13: 978-0804754088
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #248,281 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #22 in	Books > Reference > Genealogy > Online Research
  #39 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Political Science > Political Doctrines > Nationalism
  #44 in	Books > History > Asia > Korea > South

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Descriptively analyzing the separation and differences in the communist north and democratic south of the Korean peninsula, June 5, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Ethnic Nationalism: Genealogy, Politics, And Legacy by Gi-Wook Shin (Director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center) explores the roots, politics, and legacy of Korean ethnic nationalism. Descriptively analyzing the separation and differences in the communist north and democratic south of the Korean peninsula, Ethnic Nationalism addresses the general identity formation of the two Koreas. A core addition to academic library International Studies reference collections, Ethnic Nationalism is strongly recommended to the attention of political science, sociology, and cultural anthropology students studying the contrasts and similarities of North and South Korea through their collective history of anti-colonialism, civil war, authoritarian politics, democratization, territorial division, and globalization.