Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey: A Short History (9780824831745): Michael E. Robinson: Books

Amazon.com: Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey: A Short History (9780824831745): Michael E. Robinson: Books

Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey: A Short History
by Michael E. Robinson (Author)
3.1 out of 5 stars    9 customer reviews
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Robinson s effort overshadows other publications in Korean studies because of its clear, concise, succinct, and easily accessible writing style.-- "Southeast Review of Asian Studies (30, 2008)"

An excellent introduction to modern Korea for college-level courses or for the general reader. The author brings together representative research studies, including his own, and offers a succinct, dynamic and synthesized history of modern Korea. . . . [H]e pays close attention to how the everyday life of ordinary people intersects with the rapid economic and cultural transformations, rendering a highly engaging and captivating narrative with precision, wit and balanced viewpoints.-- "Pacific Affairs (80:4, Winter 2007 2008)"

An excellent book which concisely and succinctly presents the reader an opportunity to better understand the 20th century historical and cultural context for events occurring on the Korean peninsula today.-- "Korean Quarterly (11:3, Spring 2008)"

Michael Robinson has written an excellent survey of twentieth-century Korean history that will be useful for both students and interested readers. . . . The book is concise enough not to overwhelm the reader yet informative enough to provide a firm foundation for understanding modern Korea. . . . It is unmatched in its treatment of the crucially important colonial era. For this reason Robinson has produced what is probably the most useful survey text on modern Korea.-- "Acta Koreana (11:1, 2008)"

The wait for a succinct yet comprehensive history of modern Korea is over. This volume, deftly written by Michael E. Robinson, comes as a welcome alternative to histories of Korea too long or too complex for typical undergraduates. . . . Striking photographs throughout confirm this impressive volume s status as the new standard in the field. . . . Essential.-- "Choice (November 2007)""

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Review
Robinson’s effort overshadows other publications in Korean studies because of its clear, concise, succinct, and easily accessible writing style. (Southeast Review of Asian Studies (30, 2008))

An excellent introduction to modern Korea for college-level courses or for the general reader. The author brings together representative research studies, including his own, and offers a succinct, dynamic and synthesized history of modern Korea. . . . [H]e pays close attention to how the everyday life of ordinary people intersects with the rapid economic and cultural transformations, rendering a highly engaging and captivating narrative with precision, wit and balanced viewpoints. (Pacific Affairs (80:4, Winter 2007–2008))

An excellent book which concisely and succinctly presents the reader an opportunity to better understand the 20th century historical and cultural context for events occurring on the Korean peninsula today. (Korean Quarterly (11:3, Spring 2008))

Michael Robinson has written an excellent survey of twentieth-century Korean history that will be useful for both students and interested readers. . . . The book is concise enough not to overwhelm the reader yet informative enough to provide a firm foundation for understanding modern Korea. . . . It is unmatched in its treatment of the crucially important colonial era. For this reason Robinson has produced what is probably the most useful survey text on modern Korea. (Acta Koreana (11:1, 2008))

The wait for a succinct yet comprehensive history of modern Korea is over. This volume, deftly written by Michael E. Robinson, comes as a welcome alternative to histories of Korea too long or too complex for typical undergraduates. . . . Striking photographs throughout confirm this impressive volume’s status as the new standard in the field. . . . Essential. (Choice (November 2007))

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Customer Reviews
3.1 out of 5 stars
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4.0 out of 5 starsstrong in politics, geopolitics, social issues
ByD. Kauckon March 31, 2010
Format: Paperback
"Ironically, what was the Hermit Kingdom in the late 19th century is now where the major powers of the world are congregated, tied in a knot by their inability to find a new paradigm for stability in Northeast Asia." This brilliant sentence sums up the transformation and tragic history Korea went through in the 20th century. Michael Robinson does a very good job in reconstructing this transformation on less than 200 pages. The book is written in a very concise way, while covering many important issues related to politics, economics, geopolitics, international relations, social issues and culture. Given this wide range of issues, of course you can't expect much detail, but you'll still get a pretty good idea of most of the topics important in modern Korean history.

In the last few chapters, there is a strong focus on politics and geopolitics. Elections are described in some detail and nuclear crises are analyzed several times. The author also describes the Asian financial crisis and social issues, but neglects South Korea's recent economic transformation. While doing a pretty good job in explaining the developmental state under Park Chung-hee, Robinson almost completely misses the transformation of the developmental state in late 1980s and 1990s: The role of the state underwent a major transformation, responding to increasing domestic pressure from labor movements and students as well external pressure peaking during the Reagan administration and later democratization. Interventions in the economy became less strategic and more reactive, mitigating adverse effects of the market economy (as opposed to development planning). The South Korean state increasingly embraced free trade, free markets, reduced control over the chaebol, and reduced restrictions on labor movements, allowing employees to demand a larger share of the pie. Only the last point - increasing incomes and as a result consumption - and efforts to establish a welfare state are mentioned in the book. The author completely misses other important issues related to this transformation, such as the increasing and largely unchecked power of the chaebol.

If you're interested in politics and geopolitics, including relations between the Koreas and the USA, this book is perfect for you. If you're more interested in economic development (like me), I still recommend you to read it - It will give you great background on any aspect of modern South Korea you want to study.
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5.0 out of 5 starsessential
Bytodd munsonon July 3, 2007
Format: Paperback
The wait for a succinct yet comprehensive history of modern Korea is over. This volume, deftly written by Michael Robinson (Indiana University), comes as a welcome alternative to histories of Korea too long or complex for the typical undergraduate. His book is divided into an introduction, eight chapters (none longer than twenty-five pages), and an epilogue, each of which may be profitably read or assigned on its own. The first chapter surveys traditional Korea, and argues that the seeds of Korean modernity were present even in the Choson dynasty. In Chapters Two through Four, Robinson -- a specialist in Korea's colonial period -- surveys the brutal decades of Japanese rule, elucidating the unique features of Japan's colonizing efforts from the 1910s to the 1940s. He also draws attention to the ideological divisions within Korean society during this period that led to the eventual bifurcation of the peninsula into two confrontational nation-states after WWII. The remaining chapters examine Korea's postwar split, devoting space to developments in both North and South Korea, while a thought-provoking epilogue explores the peninsula's role in East Asian geopolitics in the twenty-first century. Striking photographs throughout confirm this volume's status as the new standard in the field.
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5.0 out of 5 starsRead it for my class, and it was one of the best
ByAmazon Customeron October 31, 2014
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
It is a very good brief of modern history of Korea starting from late 1800s to recent years. The book is about Korea, which means that the author covers both North and South. The book is written in an analytical and informative manner and clearly shows the connection of each historical events leading to the status quo of Korea. Many may be aware of the division and polarization of the country and if you want to have a glimpse of what's the story behind, this book is highly recommended.
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3.0 out of 5 starsI think this book does a great job at giving aspects from different views of the ...
ByAdamon March 25, 2015
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I think this book does a great job at giving aspects from different views of the Modernization of Korea, however, I feel as if the chapters or oddly organized. The chapters do very well in explaining their topic however, I feel as if there is too many times in which the author addresses events in years that happened far previous of the current topic that I am reading. It makes it confusing to follow in my opinion. Otherwise, a nice view and very informative piece of Korea's Independence.
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2.0 out of 5 starsTwo Stars
ByApoorva Mathuron September 28, 2015
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
The entire Chapter 3 is missing from the book.....
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3.0 out of 5 starsInformative, but dense and some writing errors here and there
ByEthan J. Oshiroon October 7, 2012
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
I needed this book for my Korean literature class, after reading it, I find that it takes longer to read than less dense material, because this is written as if it were a history textbook (which might be what it intends to be). The information is useful and I find some of it interesting, but sometimes I feel like it's become redundant asking myself, "didn't I just read this ten pages ago?" There is one spelling mistake and it looks like a space was forgotten between words. Also, one thing I think this book and all books teaching a foreign history in a different language, is to include the native language for nouns, and anything Romanized for the sake of pronunciation, with there being so many interpretations and methods of Romanization, I feel Hangul (if you can read it) would be helpful.
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5.0 out of 5 starsKorean odyssey well written.
ByTerrance P Cohenon May 22, 2013
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
Informative. A good read. Enough detail yet well paced and kept me interested. I would recommend to anybody interested in the recent history of Korea.
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2.0 out of 5 starsToo redundant and unorganized
ByHo Chung Yuanon November 13, 2013
Format: Paperback
An interesting recap on Korean history but this is definitely not "short". The author is also terribly redundant and to a certain extent, unorganized. I've liked most books about Korea's historical landscape, but definitely regret buying this as a leisurely read.