인종주의의 역사와 오늘의 한국

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of understanding racism in Korean society today through the lens of its historical developments in the western hemisphere, thoughtfully examined by the two recent works in the field. For the discussion, this paper assesses the four main themes closely connected with racism. First, it focuses on how the expansion of Christianity coincided with the beginning of racism in the age of colonialism. Secondly, this paper shows capitalism, especially in the form of slavery, was the key element of modern day racialism. Third theme of consideration is racism as the states of minds of the oppressors and the oppressed. This focuses on how the strained racial relations have destroyed human qualities of both sides. Lastly, this paper examines the aspects of gender in racism which complicates some of the issues of racial clashes in the west as well as in Korea. Some of the events that recently took place in Korea also revealed the above mentioned themes of racism, and thus augmented necessity and urgency of better understanding of history of racism.