Korea : a very short introduction / Michael J. Seth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seth, Michael J., 1948- author.

Series:

Very short introductions ; 625.

Very short introductions ; 625

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Korea--History.

Korea.

History.

Korea--Civilization.

Civilization.

Korea--Social life and customs.

Manners and customs.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

139 pages : illustrations, maps ; 18 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2020.

Summary:

Having spent centuries in the shadows of its neighbours China and Japan, Korea is now the object of considerable interest for radically different reasons - the South as an economic success story and for its vibrant popular culture; the North as the home to one of the world's most repressive regimes, at once both bizarre and menacing. This book explores the history, culture, and society of a deeply divided region. Michael Seth considers what it means to be Korean, and analyses how the various peoples of the Korean peninsula became one of the world's most homogeneous nations, before exploring how this nation evolved, in a single lifetime, into today's sharply contrasting societies. He also discusses how Korea fits into the larger narrative of both East Asian and world history, economically, politically, and socially.

Contents:

Creating a peninsular kingdom

A Confucian society

From kingdom to colony

From colony to competing states

Competing states, diverging societies

Globalizing south, inward north.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 129-132) and index.

ISBN:

9780198830771

0198830777

OCLC:

1110485163