The Native Korean Intellectual Framework of National Culture in the Japanese Colonial Period

Abstract

The cultural identity of the nation (minjok; 民族) has been constantly investigated not only by the so-called cultural nationalists but also by proponents of development theory and modernization theory. That is, questions about the characteristics of national culture, how those attributes contribute to modernization and which have a hindering effect have been followed by disputes about the very essence of Korean culture. Questions about this essence and its characteristics have resulted in debates regarding the proper interpretive framework for understanding Korean culture. This is a debate over what should be the primary content of culture theory and corresponding interpretive perspectives.