Korea Old and New: A History (Korea Institute) (Paperback)

by Carter Eckert (Author), Ki-Baik Lee (Author), Young Lew (Author), Michael Robinson (Author), Edward W. Wagner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
In four hundred clear and well-written pages, five eminent Korean and American historians provide a judicious survey of Korea's history from Paleolithic times to the present, giving due emphasis to its cultural achievements, including its magnificent pottery, and, not least, the development of metal moveable type in the first half of the 15th century.
--Jon Halliday (London Review of Books )

By and large the best historical discussion in English of Korea's modern transformation.
--Soon Won Park (Korean Studies )

Some of the recent scholarly work has tended to be rather ahistorical in approach, as if Korea--like Athena from the head of Zeus--somehow sprang full-grown onto the international scene in 1960. Korea Old and New...is an important antidote to [this] approach...Beginning with the Paleolithic Age, Korea Old and New moves with considerable grace through the early years of Korean culture, the Three Kingdoms era, Koryo and Yi dynasties, and on into the modern age...The strengths of this book are many, but in particular the comprehensive nature and the balanced analysis stand out as exceptional...Well-written and comprehensive, Korea Old and New...is required reading for anyone wishing to understand Korea.
--David C. Kang (Journal of Contemporary Asia )

Each of these authors, recognized as specialists on their chosen periods, offers even-handed accounts of events which are often minefields of historical controversy...This volume may be confidently recommended as the best available text on the subject.
--James Cotton (Asian Studies Review )

Product Description
This presentation of the general history of Korea not only provides a detailed treatment of the post-1945 period, but describes the traditional historical-cultural milieu from which modern Korea has developed. The 20th century has witnessed a multiplicity of both domestic and external factors that have resulted either in tendentious history or in emphasis badly skewed toward such dramatic events as the Korean War or South Korea's economic successes. "Korea Old and New" aims to present a more balanced survey. Its coverage of traditional Korea emphasizes cultural developments not merely as isolated expressions of the creative spirit of the people but as integrally related to Korea's political, social and economic history. The book's preponderant concern is with the tumultuous modern era, and six academic specialists provide a wide-angle view of each distinct period. The authors elucidate the past while providing new understanding of the vast changes that have taken place in this ancient nation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Korea Institute (August 14, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962771309
• ISBN-13: 978-0962771309
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,598 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #65 in

  Books > History > Asia > Korea

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great accomplishment but keep a notepad handy, December 18, 2002

By	Chris B. (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

I should start by saying that it's not easy to find a Korean history book in English that was actually written by Korean historians and scholars. You can find many authored by US and British authors, and having browsed through some of them, I strongly recommend AVOIDING them - I'll explain at the end of my review.

On to the book: This is a fascinating account of Korean history from ancient times up to the 1980's, a span of over 2000 years. Each chapter covers a different period, and the chapters share the same organization, describing the social, cultural, political, philosophical/religous, scholarly, and military aspects of the period in respective subsections. This makes it easy to later refer to previous chapters and compare different periods. Understandably, the level of detail provided increases along with the stability of the country.

The style and content changes noticeably though after the pre-Industrial Age chapters. The history up to this point is analagous to European medieval history with kings, queens, heroic warriors and devious power struggles to control the throne. However, as the 20th century dawned, Korea was overrun by Japan and roughly half a century of occupation ensued. From this point on, the book's strength is its account of modern Korea and the motivations of the Korean government. This is where accounts by foreign authors invariably fail and take on obvious biases based on the "official" information the Korean government and their own governments have dispensed. Having several Korean relatives both in the US and Korea, I should emphasize that this book's account of modern history is definitely politically liberal and populist. It presents a view of politics that is probably more agreeable to Korean university students and professors and less agreeable to older Korean generations with more conservative views.

As an end-to-end reading experience, I really enjoyed this book. I mention 'keep a notepad handy' in the title of this review, and I really do encourage that. You see, the only major problem I had with this book was that the ancient history would quickly become confusing due to the frequent use of similar names, particularly the names of various kings. Also, while I'm amazed at the balance made between depth and breadth to keep a complete history under a billion pages, some of the descriptions of important historical figures are regrettably short - too short to etch them into your memory. For these reasons, I seriously recommend keeping notes (or heck, use a spreadsheet if you really want to keep this stuff straight) about the major figures and events as you go along. I really, REALLY wish they had provided a summary timeline or at least a summary of the kings as an appendix, but no such luck. If you don't keep notes, you may wind up reading the whole thing, enjoying it immensely, but then being completely incapable of recalling correct names and dates. Hint- if you ever get a Korean history trivia question "which king did <blah>?", just guess King Tejo and you've got about 50/50 odds of being right.

In summary, I highly recommend this book. It's also a great source of inspiration to learn more about specific people, places, and events in Korean history.

[follow-up to my initial statements]
Korean history is best told by Koreans and NOT foreign authors. Why? As shown by the histories of China, Korea, and Japan, "western" culture has often incorrectly interpreted "eastern" culture. For example, western authors frequently confuse which Korean king did what. This is often because they failed to note that kings were typically referred to by one name while alive and another after their death. Also, as with many other countries, the history of Korea contains many events where the Korean government has intentionally hidden or distorted certain aspects of its culture to foreign governments. This is especially true of the relationships between China, Korea, and Japan - those three countries have played cat and mouse with each other for centuries. You can find a Chinese, Korean, and Japanese account of the same historical event and they may have significantly different views. One of them may describe a particular battle as a victory, another calls it a crafty political ploy, and the other calls it an insignificant accident.

I should also clarify that while the author is listed as "Eckert", this was translated into english by a group of American (Harvard??) and Korean scholars/historians. That's it for my diatribe - hope it helps.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bridging the old and new, March 20, 1998

By A Customer

It is inevitable that recordings of history come with biases. However, the converged efforts of many scholars of this historical book on Korea is one of the best examples of fair representation. Accurate and insightful, the book begins with the basic introduction of nomadic Korea and with skillful elucidation explores the history from the three unified kingdoms up to Korea in the 80's. Each phase is covered in collaboration by experts of that field. Complete detail to geography, arts and culture only enhances the events that took place. Of the numerous and countless history books I've read for my Master's studies, I highly recommend this book as a "starter" for anyone remotely interested in Korea.

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Place to Begin for Korean History, July 15, 2001

By	"miguknamja4" (Busan, ROK) - See all my reviews

KOREA OLD AND NEW: A HISTORY is the beginning student's text Korean history has sorely needed. The result of a fruitful partnership between Korean and Western scholars, it is both well-written and researched.

This book is pieced together from two earlier efforts (hence the old and new of the title). Although the second part, containing the latter history of Korea from the mid-19th century to 1990, is more detailed and analytical, the entire book is the best text around. This text has spawned new specialist histories of Choson, Buddhism, and Confucian studies. It is also better edited for typographical and linguistic errors than previous histories.

However, some questions remain, mostly related to the question of Korean nationalism. The authors address the peculiar problem Korea faces: cultural chauvinism combined with dependence on foreign markets, notably Japan and the United States. The authors admirably and courageously document the role of the Japanese and American policies in Korean development, the nature of Pak Chung Hee's regime, and the fortuitous nature of Korean economic recovery, but still cling to cultural nationalist baggage about the cultural, linguistic, and racial unity of the Korean nation, downplaying the numerous historical political entities on the Korean peninsula and significant regional differences.

As Korea becomes more pluralistic and its economy more open, information about the last 5 decades will continue to filter through, but, increasingly this liberalness is purchased with a racial and linguistic chauvinism that threatens to keep studies of Joseon and Koryo wrapped in inviolate sacrality. Although the authors final note of a turn to more participatory evolution of Korean politics, the bigotry and exclusivity of the Korean market is left intact.

One way this is manifested in the book is the separation of political and economic sections, as in the nineteenth and twentieth chapters. The way the Pak regime operated directly impacts how Korea's economy developed. Separating the two discussions, leaves open the fallacy that Korea can continue to develop without political liberalization. It is almost a disguised tribute to Pak and his Japanese mentors. An end to mindless adulation of the supposed "Korean Miracle" is a prerequisite for continued Korean development and development of Korean studies.

The book also needs to be updated for the 1990's, particularly the troubles of the two Kim administrations, because the author's concerns have important policy implications. In Korea, history is immediately played out in the contemporary arena.

This book is the best place for laymen and beginning students to start. it is a model, both in its honesty and authorial collaboration, for future Korean studies.