Synopses & Reviews
Legislation to change Korean society along Confucian lines began at the founding of the Chosŏn dynasty in 1392 and had apparently achieved its purpose by the mid seventeenth century. Until this important new study, however, the nature of Koryŏ society, the stresses induced by the new legislation, and society's resistance to the Neo-Confucian changes imposed by the Chosŏn elite have remained largely unexplored.
To explain which aspects of life in Koryŏ came under attack and why, Martina Deuchler draws on social anthropology to examine ancestor worship, mourning, inheritance, marriage, the position of women, and the formation of descent groups. To examine how Neo-Confucian ideology could become an effective instrument for altering basic aspects of Koryŏ life, she traces shifts in political and social power as well as the cumulative effect of changes over time. What emerges is a subtle analysis of Chosŏn Korean social and ideological history.
Review
An epoch-making book for Asian studies. -- Kenneth Manders, University of Pittsburgh
Review
An outstanding contribution to our understanding of Choson society and the power and implications of Confucian ritual. It offers insight into some of the most puzzling and disturbing features of Choson society. American Historical Review
Review
Martina Deuchler's latest contribution to our gradually growing historical literature on traditional Korea is a richly detailed and cogently argued treatment of the relationship between intellectual and social change from the Koryo (936-1392) through the mid-Choson (1392-1910) dynasties. It is a complex and multi-layered study that is amenable to interpretation in a number of ways...[A] magnificent scholarly achievement. London Journal Of Asian Studies
Review
An epoch-making book for Asian studies. American Historical Review
Synopsis
This important new study explores the impact of Neo-Confucianism on Korean society and politics between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries.
About the Author
Martina Deuchler is Professor of Korean Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS