From the publisher’s website: Of the three great civilizations of East Asia, Korea used to attract the least attention. Overshadowed by their neighbours in China and Japan, Koreans had trouble gaining recognition abroad for the many accomplishments of their ancestors in such fields as architecture, music, dance, and the arts. That has begun to change … [Read More]
Booklist: Traditional arts heritage and folklore (page 4)
Seowon: The Architecture of Korea’s Private Academies
From the publisher’s website: Seowon: The Architecture of Korea’s Private Academies takes a look at the private educational institutions that were dedicated to higher learning. These same institutions eventually became the crowning glory of Neo-Confucianism. This book examines the role these schools had on society during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) while also taking a closer … [Read More]
Korea’s Pastimes and Customs: A Social History
From the publisher’s website: Why are there so many Gims (Kims), Yis (Lees) and Baks (Parks) in Korea? What was life like in Korea hundreds of years ago? What kinds of communities did the Korean people form? How did they celebrate their birthdays and holidays? What kinds of games did they play in their spare … [Read More]
Painters as Envoys: Korean Inspiration in Eighteenth-Century Japanese Nanga
It is well known that Japanese literati painting of the eighteenth century was inspired by Chinese styles that found their way to Japan through trade relations. However, because Japanese and American art historians have focused on Japanese-Chinese ties, the fact that Japan also maintained important diplomatic–and aesthetic–relations with Korea during the same period has long … [Read More]
Mu-ga: The Ritual Songs of the Korean Mudangs
Introduced and Translated by Alan C. Heyman This work is mainly comprised of a translation into English of four complete large-scale Korean Shaman ritual songs transcribed from tape recordings, which, until the present time, have remained either entirely untranslated, or, if otherwise, are only quoted in the form of brief excerpts in a few short … [Read More]
Constructing “Korean” Origins: A Critical Review of Archaeology, Historiography, and Racial Myth in Korean State-Formation Theories
In this wide-ranging study, Hyung Il Pai examines how archaeological finds from throughout Northeast Asia have been used in Korea to construct a myth of state formation. This myth emphasizes the ancient development of a pure Korean race that created a civilization rivaling those of China and Japan and a unified state controlling a wide area in … [Read More]
Korea: Art and Archaeology
This illustrated book, the first authoritative general introduction to the distinctive culture of this country to be published in English, traces its development chronologically from the Neolithic period (c. 6000 BC) right up to the present day. Korea, published in association with the opening of a major new permanent Korean Gallery in the British Museum, … [Read More]
Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary
From the publisher’s website: Compiled by specialists from the University of Durham Department of East Asian Studies, this new reference work contains approximately 1500 entries covering Korean civilisation from early times to the present day. Subjects include history, politics, art, archaeology, literature, etc. The Dictionary is intended for students, teachers and researchers, and will also be of … [Read More]
Arts of Korea: the Metropolitan Museum of Art
From the publisher’s website: Of all the cultural and artistic traditions of East Asia, those of Korea have received the least attention in the West. This volume, along with the major exhibition it accompanies, examines the most significant developments in the history of Korean art, from the Neolithic period to the nineteenth century, through outstanding … [Read More]
Korean Art and Design: The Samsung Gallery of Korean Art
From the publisher’s website: This highly illustrated book covers objects from the 5th-century AD to the present day and includes fine examples of ceramics, metalwork, furniture and lacquer, textiles and contemporary crafts. [Read More]
Traditional Korean Theatre
From the publisher’s website: A translation of the contents of the manual used for the masked dance of Korea. Readers will delight in the wit and liveliness of these dramas that depict human errors as well as the redeeming virtues of social bonds. “…a pioneering collection of Korean mask-dance and puppet plays… a fine introduction … [Read More]
Folk Art and Magic: Shamanism in Korea
From the dust jacket: Just what are the secrets of Shamanism’s survival in Korea for over five millennia? Even after sixteen centuries of suppression, first by Buddhists for a thousand years, then by Neo-Confucianists who ruled Korea for five centuries, finally by missionaries who regarded this folk faith as “the basest demonology,” Shamanism still persisted … [Read More]