Series | Studi e ricerche
Edited book | Cultural Exchanges Between Korea and the West
Chapter | Chosŏn Entering the International Arena: Three Witnesses
Chosŏn Entering the International Arena: Three Witnesses
Abstract
The last decades of the Chosŏn dynasty (1392‑1910) are remembered as a period of inner turbulences and competition between foreign powers over their dominance of the Korean peninsula. Yet, during the crucial period from the mid-1880s to the early 1900s, Chosŏn was considered ready to independently enter the international arena. In the roughly twenty-five years between the first treaties with the USA and European countries and 1905, when Japan took charge of Korea’s foreign affairs, it sparked the interests of Western diplomats, adventurers, and travelers. The texts and images of three visitors during this period, Isabella Bird, Burton Holmes, and Jack London, present very different perspectives on Korea. Rather than seeking historical information, this study attempts to highlight these different views within their personal background and intentions. In addition to their publications, collections of unpublished photographs reveal a wider spectrum of experience and allow for a closer comparison between textual and visual representation.
Submitted: April 18, 2023 | Accepted: June 1, 2023 | Published Aug. 30, 2023 | Language: en
Keywords Russo-Japanese War • Photography of Korea • Queen Myŏngsŏng • Isabella Bird Bishop • Documentary film • Late Chosŏn • Travel photography • Travelogue • Burton Holmes • Jack London • King/Emperor Kojong
Copyright © 2023 Burglind Jungmann. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-717-3/001
