Doksa Sillon
Encyclopedia
Doksa sillon or A New Reading of History (1908) is a book that discusses the history of Korea
from the time of the mythical Dangun
to the fall of the kingdom of Baekje
in 926 CE. Its author––historian, essayist, and independence
activist Shin Chaeho (1880–1936)––first published it as a series of articles in the Daehan Maeil Sinbo (the Korea Daily News), of which he was the editor-in-chief.
As the first work to equate the history of Korea with the history of the Korean nation (minjok), Doksa sillon rejected the conventional Confucian histories that focused on the rise and fall of dynasties as well as the Japanese Pan-Asianist
claims that Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese were all part of the "East Asian" or "yellow" race. Influenced by Social Darwinism
, Shin portrayed the Korean minjok as a warlike race (which he called "Buyeo" after the name of an ancient kingdom
) that had constantly fought to preserve Korean identity but had later been weakened by Confucianized
elites like the yangban
of the Joseon Dynasty
. Doksa sillon was one of the earliest expressions of Korean ethnic nationalism and it laid the foundation for Korean nationalist historiography
, which used the study of ancient Korea to resist Japanese colonial
scholarship while Korea was under Japanese rule
.
History of Korea
The Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
from the time of the mythical Dangun
Dangun
Dangun Wanggeom was the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning, Manchuria, and the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven", and to have founded the kingdom in 2333 BC...
to the fall of the kingdom of Baekje
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
in 926 CE. Its author––historian, essayist, and independence
Korean independence movement
The Korean independence movement grew out of the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. After the Japanese surrendered, Korea became independent; that day is now an annual holiday called Gwangbokjeol in South Korea, and Chogukhaebangŭi nal in North Korea.-Background:In...
activist Shin Chaeho (1880–1936)––first published it as a series of articles in the Daehan Maeil Sinbo (the Korea Daily News), of which he was the editor-in-chief.
As the first work to equate the history of Korea with the history of the Korean nation (minjok), Doksa sillon rejected the conventional Confucian histories that focused on the rise and fall of dynasties as well as the Japanese Pan-Asianist
Pan-Asianism
Pan-Asianism is an ideology or a movement that Asian nations unite and solidify and create a continental identity to defeat the designs of the Western nations to perpetuate hegemony.-Japanese Asianism:...
claims that Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese were all part of the "East Asian" or "yellow" race. Influenced by Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism is a term commonly used for theories of society that emerged in England and the United States in the 1870s, seeking to apply the principles of Darwinian evolution to sociology and politics...
, Shin portrayed the Korean minjok as a warlike race (which he called "Buyeo" after the name of an ancient kingdom
Buyeo
Buyeo can mean:*Buyeo kingdom, a kingdom located in today's North Korea and southern Manchuria from around the 2nd century BC to 494 AD*Buyeo County, a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, and one-time capital of the ancient kingdom of Baekje...
) that had constantly fought to preserve Korean identity but had later been weakened by Confucianized
Korean Confucianism
Korean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural influence from China...
elites like the yangban
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. Doksa sillon was one of the earliest expressions of Korean ethnic nationalism and it laid the foundation for Korean nationalist historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, which used the study of ancient Korea to resist Japanese colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
scholarship while Korea was under Japanese rule
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
.