Dangerous Discussions on Korean History │ Dr. Donald Baker

Although this started as a conversation about Gwangju and Professor Don Baker's experiences there starting in 1971, including witnessing the aftermath of the massacre in 1980, we quickly understood there was much more for us to explore. This includes Don's impressions of Kim Dae-jung, gender and women in the Joseon Dynasty, Korea's historical relationship with China, Confucianism and ancestor worship, the effects of Japanese colonization, and the field of Korean Studies more broadly.

It was completely spontaneous, but I also noted the following people and their work referenced throughout this conversation, demonstrating the depth and breadth of Don's knowledge: Alexis Dudden, Dave C Kang, Alexander Woodside, Jisoo Kim, Hyaeweol Choi, Carter Eckert, Andre Schmid, Jahyun Kim Haboush, Gregory Henderson, Robert Carlin, Eugene Park, Michael Seth, John Jorgensen, Kim Sun Joo, BR Myers, Bruce Cumings, James Palais, Mark Peterson, John Duncan, Steve Shields, and David Dolinger.

Despite knowing the tragedy and violence taking place in Gwangju, Don snuck into the city to find his friends and understand what was really happening. His descriptions of the attacks and murder that took place in Gwangju are heartbreaking to listen to. And through all of this, he nevertheless finishes with words of hope and positivity.

Discussion Outline

0:00 Unpacking Gwangju

6:00 Kim Dae-jung

10:20 1970s Korea

20:50 On Confucianism

24:30 Korean Studies

30:00 The Joseon Dynasty

38:50 Japanese Colonization and Collaboration

51:55 Korean Studies and Factions

1:08:50 Confucianism vs Catholicism (Ancestor Worship)

1:15:30 The Assassination of Park Chung-hee 1979

1:21:40 The Gwangju Massacre 1980

1:47:00 American Involvement in Gwangju

1:55:30 Representations of Gwangju

2:03:46 Conclusions on Life and Korea

Dr. Baker's Books

• A Korean Confucian's Advice on How to Be Moral: Tasan Chŏng Yagyong's Reading of the Zhongyong (University of Hawaii Press, 2023)
• Catholics and Anti-Catholicism in Chosŏn Korea (University of Hawaii Press) with Franklin Rausch. May, 2017
• Korean Spirituality (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2008)
• Chosŏn Hugi Yugyo wa Ch'ŏnjugyo ŭi Taerip [The Confucian Confrontation with Catholicism in the Latter Half of the Chosŏn Dynasty] (Seoul: Iljogak Publishing Co., 1997)
  
  

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