Achievements and Challenges in the Centennial Anniversary Studies of the March First Independence Movement

Abstract

This paper examines the achievements and limitations of studies conducted in commemoration of the 2019 centennial anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and presents prospects for the direction of future research. On the occasion of the centennial, there was the establishment of data, including the March First Movement Database, and the excavation of new materials. The view that the Movement created crucial momentum for the transition from monarchy to republic was strengthened, a momentum that ultimately lead to the diffusion of the orientation toward democracy. Additionally, the argument to designate the Movement the March First Revolution was raised in several strands. Local uprisings were scrutinized; new actors in the Movement were attended to, such as the March First generation, women, and individual participants; and activities which took place at the sites associated with the Movement were examined more closely. However, the Movement has yet to be studied from a transnational perspective, and the complex web of contemporaneous conditions must be looked at from the new angle of the multitude. Further, instead of politicizing history, it is necessary to undertake studies examining the actual lives of the people.