한국학·지역학의 발흥과 한국사연구

Abstract

The field of Korean history has made remarkable progress in the 21st century both qualitatively and quantitatively thanks to the efforts of researchers. Korean historians today are concerned with issues such as overcoming the division of Korea, maintaining universality in the process of globalization, recalibrating the status of the people and the state as subjects of history, popularizing historical studies using visual media, and elevating the status of history education and providing quality contents at universities and secondary schools. Korean studies and Korean regional studies have recently investigated Seoul and the other regions using a comprehensive and integrated methodology. Unlike other disciplines of humanities and social sciences, Korean history research uses methodologies from long-standing traditions and encompasses comprehensive fields such as politics, economy, society, thought, and culture. The study of Korean history is thus fundamentally intertwined with Korean studies and Regional studies, and researchers are already involved both directly and indirectly as a part of the movement to invigorate regional academia. However, the sudden rise of Korean and Regional studies have resulted in the mass production of research outcomes from studies lacking their own methodology and disciplinary systems. This is a concern for Korean history researchers with more traditional academic training. Korean history, as an academic discipline which has long employed its own systematic research methodologies, can serve as an exemplary model for Korean and Regional studies that pursue interdisciplinary approaches.BR This paper examines the research processes and genealogies that have contributed to the rise of Korean studies. Following a description of the current conditions of Korean regional studies and its search for suitable research methodologies, the paper reviews the responses made by the academic communities of Korean history by focusing on the academic environment, its shortcomings, and aims.BR The academic community of Korean history should serve as the steppingstone for the development of original research methodologies that are well adapted to continuous change. To prevent studies from becoming mechanical, monotonous, or fragmentary, the community must promote an academic culture that encourages researchers to conduct empirical and in-depth analyses and produce better outcomes that reflect such efforts.