Rethinking Historical-Comparative Methodology for Understanding the Gender Structure of Korean Colonial Modernity

Abstract

The aim of this article is to theoretically construct a historical-comparative methodology for understanding the gender structure of Korean colonial modernity during the nation-building period of the 1920s and 30s. Before attempting to provide an alternative feminist framework regarding the historicity of gendered Korean colonial modernity, this article critically reviews previous studies on colonial modernity and the impact of ‘nation’ (minjok). It thereby examines the nature and characteristics of Japanese colonization in Korean academia. At another level, by analyzing newly emerging historiography dealing with the fragmentation of the nation-state, one that is engaged with post-colonialism, post-nationalism and feminist theory, this article discusses a new way of feminist history writing so as to reveal the multiple-layered narratives of colonial women and their agency. Finally, in order to understand the way in which colonial modernity has affected the historical transformation of Korean patriarchy, I argue that it is crucial to address the question of the interdependency of colonialism, nationalism and modernity in the colonial context. It is also important to examine the dialectical relations between the colonial and nationalist discourses regarding Korean women's sexuality and reproductive role in private and public spheres, compared with other colonial locales in different temporal-regional contexts.