Changes to the Korean Family in the Colonial Period: A Study focusing on Divorce Cases in the 1920s

Abstract

In the field of Korean family studies, the colonial period feels hidden, as if dragged below the surface by the sheer weight of its historical significance. The family was first studied in institutional and historical terms in the West under the influence of Darwins nineteenth century theory of evolution. Later, it received attention from fields such as law, medicine, and psychology. The 1920s saw the introduction of statistical methodologies and study of the family became established within the academic system as family sociology. Family studies in Korea show a developmental trajectory almost the same as this, but which begins with historical and legal research. Historical studies include Kim Duheons Study of the Family Institution in Joseon (1948), which offers a detailed account of the historical development of changes to the family institution since the Three Kingdoms period. Judicio-historical research includes Jeong Gwanghyeons Study of Korean Family Law (1967) and Park Byeonghos An Examination of the History of Korean Legislation (1974), which address processes of historical change in phenomena such as marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance.