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The ‘New Woman’ and the Politics of Love, Marriage and Divorce in Colonial Korea
Author(s) -
Yoo Theodore Jun
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
gender and history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.153
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-0424
pISSN - 0953-5233
DOI - 10.1111/j.0953-5233.2006.00383.x
Subject(s) - gender studies , colonialism , westernization , politics , modernity , context (archaeology) , sociology , tribute , identity (music) , political science , aesthetics , law , modernization theory , history , philosophy , archaeology
This study seeks to explore the changing discursive forces that competed to define Korean women's identity and roles within the context of the new spaces created by colonialism and modernity. It argues that a small coterie of literate women seized the initiative to enhance their education, define the politics of physical aesthetics and con‐tribute to the debate about the changing gender roles and expectations in Korean society all under the guise of 'Westernisation' and progress. The emergence of these 'new women' challenged traditional notions of Korean womanhood and brought the 'woman question' to the forefront of public discourse.