Assimilating Seoul: Japanese Rule and the Politics of Public Space in Colonial Korea, 1910-1945 (Asia Pacific Modern): Todd A. Henry: 9780520276550: Amazon.com: Books
Assimilating Seoul: Japanese Rule and the Politics of Public Space in Colonial Korea, 1910-1945
by Todd A. Henry
---
Assimilating Seoul, the first book-length study written in English about Seoul during the colonial period, challenges conventional nationalist paradigms by revealing the intersection of Korean and Japanese history in this important capital. Through microhistories of Shinto festivals, industrial expositions, and sanitation campaigns, Todd A. Henry offers a transnational account that treats the city’s public spaces as "contact zones," showing how residents negotiated pressures to become loyal, industrious, and hygienic subjects of the Japanese empire. Unlike previous, top-down analyses, this ethnographic history investigates modalities of Japanese rule as experienced from below. Although the colonial state set ambitious goals for the integration of Koreans, Japanese settler elites and lower-class expatriates shaped the speed and direction of assimilation by bending government initiatives to their own interests and identities. Meanwhile, Korean men and women of different classes and generations rearticulated the terms and degree of their incorporation into a multiethnic polity. Assimilating Seoul captures these fascinating responses to an empire that used the lure of empowerment to disguise the reality of alienation.
---
3.36 · Rating Details · 11 Ratings · 2 Reviews
---
Assimilating Seoul: Japanese Rule and the Politics of Public Space in Colonial Korea, 1910–1945 (Asia Pacific Modern) 1st Edition
by Todd A. Henry (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 1 customer review
----
Feb 21, 2015Vivian Blaxell rated it it was ok
A magnificent topic ill-served by overuse of specialized language, poorly understood theory, doctoral dissertation drearies, and almost no ability to tell a story. A fine resource for data about Seoul nonetheless.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
----
morning Os
Mar 24, 2014morning Os rated it it was ok
-
Another "governmentality vs individuals' ability to challenge it" book. Despite his great emphasis on individual subjectivity and agency, the almost entire book is heavily state (colonizer) focused. Very little discussion (some in the chapter on the shrine) on what various dimensions except colonizer-colonized confrontation unfolded behind the politics of assimilation. Each chapter starts with the elaboration on intentions of state officials, and moves onto the difficulties they met (through newspapers or other colonial agents' viewpoints), and concludes with a little bit of guess work on the "subversion" by colonized people. The information is thorough-looking, and considering the availability of sources, it might have been inevitable to focus on colonizer's viewpoints. But still. then change the claim. (less)
---
Review
"A major contribution to the study of the history of twentieth-century Korea."
(John Whittier Treat Korea Journal 2015-04-01)
"A most welcome addition to the field of Korean studies."
(Alexis Dudden American Historical Review 2015-04-01)
"[Assimilating Seoul] delivers an impressive contribution to the growing collection of research on Japanese imperial history in Korea, and the Japanese-Korean relationship in particular. ... It defies categorization as either a Japanese or Korean history to serve as a valuable artery of both during the time of Japan’s colonial subjugation of the peninsula."
(Mark Caprio Reviews in History 2015-04-23)
"The first in-depth study in the English language of the history of Seoul in the first half of the twentieth century . . . entertaining and highly readable . . . a welcome addition to the growing literature on Korea’s colonial history and on urban history more generally."
(Janet Poole H-Net 2015-07-01)
"A detailed study of Korean and Japanese identity and adaptability in the colonial setting... Assimilating Seoul will be required reading for anyone studying the Japanese colonial period in Korea, for scholars of colonialism in general, and for students wanting to look beyond purely nationalist narratives for understandings of the past."
(Donald N. Clark Pacific Affairs)
"A new and insightful perspective."
(Steven Denney Sino-NK 2015-01-23)
"Henry does an excellent job . . . Highly recommended."
(Choice 2016-08-01)
"Assimilating Seoul provides a nuanced view of Japan’s colonial endeavor in Korea. . . . A respectable contribution."
(Japanese Studies 2015-05-04)
"Bold and ambitious . . . A timely and provocative study."
(The Journal of Asian Studies 2015-08-01)
"Assimilating Seoul provides a wealth of information and brims with fresh insights... Henry's adept probe into the cit's physical and conceptual ambits is remarkably perceptive."
(Journal of Japanese Studies)
"Beautifully written... The reader can feel the author’s genuine passion for understanding the people of whom he writes. Assimilating Seoul is essential reading for all students of twentieth-century Korean society. Directed as much at engaging historians based in South Korea as those elsewhere, the book is bound to spur debate."
(Journal of Korean Studies)
"As a pioneering work on an important subject so far glaringly under-researched outside of South Korea and Japan, it enriches the scholarship on Korean history in English. . . Henry’s book represents first-rate, pioneering scholarship."
(Monumenta Nipponica)
Read less
From the Inside Flap
"Moving beyond top-down accounts of colonialism, Assimilating Seoul offers a richly textured, on-the-ground understanding of how Japanese rule operated and was contested in Seoul. The book’s careful and vivid reconstruction of the entanglements of the state with city residents makes the powerful argument that the materiality of colonial power should be understood in the configuration and experiences of urban spaces. It is a splendid combination of urban and colonial histories." —Gyan Prakash, author of Mumbai Fables
"In this illuminating examination of spatial politics in Japanese-occupied Seoul, Todd Henry takes us into the labyrinth of colonial governmentality. His captivating analysis of public ritual, city planning, and industrial expositions reveals the varied uses of urban form as a technology of rule--as well as the limitations of state power. A model study of the colonial city."—Louise Young, author of Beyond the Metropolis: Second Cities and Modern Life in Interwar Japan
"Few issues in the history of world colonialism are as conceptually challenging as the problem of assimilation within the Japanese empire. Henry offers a fascinating approach to the contentious politics of what it meant to be a Korean colonial subject under Japanese rule. The many answers to this problem are sure to stimulate debate."—Andre Schmid, Professor of East Asian Studies, University of Toronto
"This is one of the best books on modern Korean history I've read in recent years. Henry breaks new ground, especially in English, in his focus on the 'spaces' of colonial rule, and his command of such rich and varied primary sources is impressive. Assimilating Seoul is a fascinating read."—Carter J. Eckert, Yoon Se Young Professor of Korean History, Harvard University
----
Assimilating Seoul: Japanese Rule and the Politics of Public Space in Colonial Korea, 1910-1945
by Todd A. Henry
---
Assimilating Seoul, the first book-length study written in English about Seoul during the colonial period, challenges conventional nationalist paradigms by revealing the intersection of Korean and Japanese history in this important capital. Through microhistories of Shinto festivals, industrial expositions, and sanitation campaigns, Todd A. Henry offers a transnational account that treats the city’s public spaces as "contact zones," showing how residents negotiated pressures to become loyal, industrious, and hygienic subjects of the Japanese empire. Unlike previous, top-down analyses, this ethnographic history investigates modalities of Japanese rule as experienced from below. Although the colonial state set ambitious goals for the integration of Koreans, Japanese settler elites and lower-class expatriates shaped the speed and direction of assimilation by bending government initiatives to their own interests and identities. Meanwhile, Korean men and women of different classes and generations rearticulated the terms and degree of their incorporation into a multiethnic polity. Assimilating Seoul captures these fascinating responses to an empire that used the lure of empowerment to disguise the reality of alienation.
---
3.36 · Rating Details · 11 Ratings · 2 Reviews
---
Assimilating Seoul: Japanese Rule and the Politics of Public Space in Colonial Korea, 1910–1945 (Asia Pacific Modern) 1st Edition
by Todd A. Henry (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 1 customer review
----
Feb 21, 2015Vivian Blaxell rated it it was ok
A magnificent topic ill-served by overuse of specialized language, poorly understood theory, doctoral dissertation drearies, and almost no ability to tell a story. A fine resource for data about Seoul nonetheless.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
----
morning Os
Mar 24, 2014morning Os rated it it was ok
-
Another "governmentality vs individuals' ability to challenge it" book. Despite his great emphasis on individual subjectivity and agency, the almost entire book is heavily state (colonizer) focused. Very little discussion (some in the chapter on the shrine) on what various dimensions except colonizer-colonized confrontation unfolded behind the politics of assimilation. Each chapter starts with the elaboration on intentions of state officials, and moves onto the difficulties they met (through newspapers or other colonial agents' viewpoints), and concludes with a little bit of guess work on the "subversion" by colonized people. The information is thorough-looking, and considering the availability of sources, it might have been inevitable to focus on colonizer's viewpoints. But still. then change the claim. (less)
---
Review
"A major contribution to the study of the history of twentieth-century Korea."
(John Whittier Treat Korea Journal 2015-04-01)
"A most welcome addition to the field of Korean studies."
(Alexis Dudden American Historical Review 2015-04-01)
"[Assimilating Seoul] delivers an impressive contribution to the growing collection of research on Japanese imperial history in Korea, and the Japanese-Korean relationship in particular. ... It defies categorization as either a Japanese or Korean history to serve as a valuable artery of both during the time of Japan’s colonial subjugation of the peninsula."
(Mark Caprio Reviews in History 2015-04-23)
"The first in-depth study in the English language of the history of Seoul in the first half of the twentieth century . . . entertaining and highly readable . . . a welcome addition to the growing literature on Korea’s colonial history and on urban history more generally."
(Janet Poole H-Net 2015-07-01)
"A detailed study of Korean and Japanese identity and adaptability in the colonial setting... Assimilating Seoul will be required reading for anyone studying the Japanese colonial period in Korea, for scholars of colonialism in general, and for students wanting to look beyond purely nationalist narratives for understandings of the past."
(Donald N. Clark Pacific Affairs)
"A new and insightful perspective."
(Steven Denney Sino-NK 2015-01-23)
"Henry does an excellent job . . . Highly recommended."
(Choice 2016-08-01)
"Assimilating Seoul provides a nuanced view of Japan’s colonial endeavor in Korea. . . . A respectable contribution."
(Japanese Studies 2015-05-04)
"Bold and ambitious . . . A timely and provocative study."
(The Journal of Asian Studies 2015-08-01)
"Assimilating Seoul provides a wealth of information and brims with fresh insights... Henry's adept probe into the cit's physical and conceptual ambits is remarkably perceptive."
(Journal of Japanese Studies)
"Beautifully written... The reader can feel the author’s genuine passion for understanding the people of whom he writes. Assimilating Seoul is essential reading for all students of twentieth-century Korean society. Directed as much at engaging historians based in South Korea as those elsewhere, the book is bound to spur debate."
(Journal of Korean Studies)
"As a pioneering work on an important subject so far glaringly under-researched outside of South Korea and Japan, it enriches the scholarship on Korean history in English. . . Henry’s book represents first-rate, pioneering scholarship."
(Monumenta Nipponica)
Read less
From the Inside Flap
"Moving beyond top-down accounts of colonialism, Assimilating Seoul offers a richly textured, on-the-ground understanding of how Japanese rule operated and was contested in Seoul. The book’s careful and vivid reconstruction of the entanglements of the state with city residents makes the powerful argument that the materiality of colonial power should be understood in the configuration and experiences of urban spaces. It is a splendid combination of urban and colonial histories." —Gyan Prakash, author of Mumbai Fables
"In this illuminating examination of spatial politics in Japanese-occupied Seoul, Todd Henry takes us into the labyrinth of colonial governmentality. His captivating analysis of public ritual, city planning, and industrial expositions reveals the varied uses of urban form as a technology of rule--as well as the limitations of state power. A model study of the colonial city."—Louise Young, author of Beyond the Metropolis: Second Cities and Modern Life in Interwar Japan
"Few issues in the history of world colonialism are as conceptually challenging as the problem of assimilation within the Japanese empire. Henry offers a fascinating approach to the contentious politics of what it meant to be a Korean colonial subject under Japanese rule. The many answers to this problem are sure to stimulate debate."—Andre Schmid, Professor of East Asian Studies, University of Toronto
"This is one of the best books on modern Korean history I've read in recent years. Henry breaks new ground, especially in English, in his focus on the 'spaces' of colonial rule, and his command of such rich and varied primary sources is impressive. Assimilating Seoul is a fascinating read."—Carter J. Eckert, Yoon Se Young Professor of Korean History, Harvard University
----
이 책의 영어 제목은 로 되어 있어서 내용이 일제하의 서울의 근대화라는 도시계획의 문화정치학이라고 생각하고 드려다 보기 시작했는데, 그런 면이 있기는 하지만 그 내용은 훨씬 복잡했다. 제 1장은 도시계획이지만, 제 2장은 서울의 신사를 둘러싼 사회조직, 제 3장은 경복궁에서의 산업박람회, 제 4장은 서울의 위생화 정책, 제 5장은 조선인의 신민화로서 서울과는 직접관계는 없는 토픽을 다룬다. 물론 식민지 정부의 정책을 다루는데, 그 대상이 조금 복잡하다. 조선인들도 여러 계층이 있지만, 조선에 살고 있는 일본인들이 있고 그들의 조직도 있고, 계층도 있다. 저자는 국제적인 식민지 연구의 논쟁이나, 일제하의 조선에 대한 연구의 논쟁에 대해 잘 알고 있으며, 그 연장선에서 이 연구를 계속한다. 영어는 물론이고, 한국어와 일어의 문헌을 마스터하고 있으며, 새로운 일차 자료를 발굴하여 이용하고 있어 <일제하의 조선> 연구가들로 부터 높은 평가를 받고 있다. 그러므로 이 책은 당연히 한국어로 번역이 되어야 하겠다. 그러나 이 책은 영어가 원어인 사람에게도 읽기가 쉽지는 않다. 서장(introduction)을 읽자면 너무 학문적으로 딱딱한 언어로 개념적 구상을 전개하는데, 읽다가 그만 두고 싶어질 정도이다. 그런데 그 고비만 지나면, 각 장 (1-5)에서는 그렇게 나쁘지는 않다. 만약에 이 책을 한국어로 번역한다면 서장의 번역이 문제가 될 것 같으다. 그러나 다른 장도 일반인이 읽기에는 너무 전문적이다. 많이 읽히거나 팔리는 책은 아닐 것 같다. 이 책이 저자의 박사학위 논문을 고친 것이란 것도 그 이유가 될 수 있겠다.
No comments:
Post a Comment