Western-Centrism and Contemporary Korean Political Thought

From the publisher’s website:

This book is an outgrowth of critical examination of Western political theory embedded in Western-centrism and the tumultuous ideational processes by which contemporary Korean political theory and reality have intensely interacted (both in convergent and divergent ways) with it. To conduct such examination the book addresses complex and variegated questions regarding Western-centrism: What is Western-centrism? How is Western-centrism to be compared and contrasted with other forms of centrism such as Sinocentrism, capitalism (bourgeois-centrism), patriarchy (male-centrism), and racism (white-centrism)? How has Western-centrism evolved in world history and in the history of Western political thought? How has Western-centrism shaped the evolution of contemporary Korean political thought? What kinds of ill effects has Western-centrism brought about in Korean society and academia? And, ultimately, how can Western-centrism be overcome?

Kang Jung In is professor in the Department of Political Science at Sogang University.

Contents

Introduction: From Western-centrism to Post-western-centrism

Part I: Defining Western-centrism

Chapter 1. Understanding Western-centrism
Chapter 2. The Historical Evolution of Western-centrism
Chapter 3. Western-centrism and Sinocentrism

Part II: Western-centrism in Western Political Thought

Chapter 4. The Origin and Evolution of Western-centrism in the History of Western Political Thought
Chapter 5. Western-centrism in Locke’s Theory of Property
Chapter 6. Western-centrism in Samuel P. Huntington’s Theory of Democratic Transition

Part III: Contemporary Korean Political Thought

Chapter 7. Pristine vs. Secondary Modernization
Chapter 8. The Ideological Status of Korean Conservatism
Chapter 9. The Democratization of Korea or the Korean-ization of Democracy

Part IV: Beyond the Shadow of Western-centrism

Chapter 10. The Negative Impact of Western-centrism in Korean Political Studies
Chapter 11. Discursive Strategies for Overcoming Western-centrism
Chapter 12. Beyond the Shadow of Western-centrism