The Possibility of a Postcolonialist Theory for Aesthetic Studies in East Asia

Aesthetic study in its modern form in Korea has its origin in the establishment of the Seoul National University (SNU) in 1946, the next year after Korea declared independence from Japan. Nonetheless, the roots of aesthetic studies can be traced back to Professor Naoderu Ueno's aesthetics classes, which he was holding as professor of philosophy at the Keijo Imperial University (KIU). The predecessor of the SNU, the KIU was built up under colonialism, and hence the education of aesthetics in the colonial time can place itself as a prehistory regarding the development of Korean Aesthetics. In order to shed a light on the colonial influences within Korean aesthetic studies, in this study, I will critically analyze the books regarding aesthetics and science of arts, listed on the catalogue of KIU Library. This line of study has to be carried out with some revision since German, French, and English books constitute the significant part of the remaining books. Nonetheless, regarding the influence of Japanese imperial rule, this study is concerning Japanese books only. I will illuminate their contents in association with the whole of aesthetic studies in Japan, and also refer to the world trends when necessary. In addition to the minute examination of the documents, in following studies, particularly the studies belonging to the Japanese Showa's second period of pre-war and their afterward influence on liberated Korea should be critically investigated. Furthermore, it is quite interesting that in Korea after achieving political independence, cultural policies with a strong tinge of militarism and many studies on Korean aesthetic consciousness were brought about particularly under the military regime of the 1960s and 1970s. We should bear in mind that the important figures of that period were educated under Japanese colonialism. In this sense, this study will use post-colonialism as a paradigmatic framework. Hence, the post-colonial discourse itself should be dealt with first. Although colonial army and bureaucracy may have been abolished, there still remains indirect influence through political, cultural, and economic routes. Regarding this, post-colonialism should be understood as an intervention into colonial discourse, its development structure, and social hierarchy. It can be defined as a historical and analytical movement, politically orientated, to intervene into the colonial influences in the physical, historical, culture-political, educational, textual and discourse field, and to resist and de-construct them.

並列關鍵字

Postcolonialism ； Aesthetic Study in Koewa ； Keijo Imperial University

國際替代計量

全文下載

主題瀏覽