Customer Reviews

Korean Adoption and Inheritance: Case Studies in the Creation of a Classic Confucian Society (Cornell East Asia Series Volume 80)

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This work was well put together by Mark Peterson. Many hours of work went into this text. He dives into actual Adoption and Inheritance documents from 15th to 19th century Choson Korea. He uses these documents to show how Korean society transformed from a cognatic inheritance system to a agnatic adoption and inheritance system within the Choson Dynasty. The text will help those familiar with Korean society to understand the emphasis on male offspring and the current situation of Korean familal structure. Using the adoption documents he discusses several possible causes and factors of the change which occured and; refutes a few of his Seoul National University colleague Martina Deuchler's ideas of when the transition to full Confucianization took place. This book helped me to understand the transition and left me with a good feeling. If you're dealing with Confucianism in Korea, this is a must read. A jolly good read