- Title : The World in 1919, Jeju in 1947
- Author : Heonik Kwon (HK Professor)
- Journal : Research Institute for the Tamla Culture
- Publication Date : 2024.07.
- Abstract
The year of 1919 was a foundational time for global decolonization and postcolonial history. Korea’s March First Movement takes up a significant place in this time-space. The year 1947 witnessed momentous events in this historical terrain, as well as in the history of the early Cold War. These include Harry Truman’s speech in the joint cogressional meeting on March 12, 1947. They also include what happened in Jeju, an island along Korea’s southern maritime border, in March of the same year. This essay looks at Jeju’s experience in 1947 through the prism of Korea’s place in the world in 1919. It will do so with a recourse to what Hanna Arendt, one of the most creative political thinkers of the mid-twentieth century, said about genuine political life and action in her 1958 work, The Human Condition.
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