Choson Flashcards
Establishing a New Dynasty
*New capital – Seoul (Hanyang)
*Massacre of Koryŏ ruling family
*Land surveys, more land brought under taxation
*Attack on Buddhist institutions
*Elimination of private armies
*Centrally-appointed officials at all levels of government
Yisonggye = supporters in power = dominate for next few decades = new insti and promote neoconf
New capital protected by rivers and mountains = agricuraly rich region = seoul = 2nd king = labor service for palaces, gov build, walls, gates = based on ch imperial capital = grids and cardinal
Most important city in k = culture and eco = ever since
Major step = violent = 1394 = massacre of male members of koryo ruling house = kill wang royals = denouncing koryo rule to claim moh = final rules = immoral man by puppet king = so legitimite king
Aggressive policy of cent = more successful = land survey, new registers for more taxation = confis buddhist land = neoconf believers = redistrubitate for tax
Abolsih private armies = more control on countryside with appoiinted magistrates (VS elites)
There are still local elites but power from the state itself = more robust state structure
Founding = important transition
Neo-Confucianism as State Orthodoxy
*Basic principles: loyalty, hierarchy, respect for tradition, importance of family lineages, need to adhere to social roles
*Intolerance toward other belief systems
*Elimination of state support for Buddhism, though general populace still practiced it
State ideology instead of buddhism
Long histrory in korea = neoconf was more dogmatic and intolerent and want to remodel society on conf principles = virtuous society and reform dynasty = loyalty and respect for traditions = not new, but very intolerant of other beliefs (bud, shamman…)
Ritual outside their interpretation = detrimental = end all state ties to other
Critize munks, temples with too much land, threaten conf ideas = parents..
Budd = withdraw, = before, confiscate but would still have some patronize
16th = stopped = neoconf win
Buddhist ritual = abolished for royal somethins
Mid late = intolerance never seen before in k and ea society
Push agenda to elite and state
Broader pop = continue to have other rituals
Women under Neo-Confucianism
*Texts emphasizing female subordination
*Women lose ability to head households
*Opposition to remarriage of widows
*Loss of inheritance rights
*Loss of ability of men and women to interact in public
*Need to adopt son to carry on family, carry out rituals like chesa
Impacts = position of women
Stress direct men descend and submit = obey father, husband, son = state = honors for women with virtue
Schools for men = low female litteracy = decline was more gradual but appeared = would inherite property but ceased = elite followed non remarriage = leave fam after marriage = daugh are burden for fam = lost right to inheritance = cant initiave women but men can for many reasons = subordinate = refered by relationship to men and not name = lost their rights but also to have an independant identity
Cant mix freely = elites cant = horseriding X = men to budd rituals = only in curfew for men outside = apparel to convert
Archichecture = outer and inner rooms and kitchen
Separate religious rights
Widows = cant remmary= part of women fam = elite had to follow that (person who has not died yet)= lower were often married off to poor people = sack marriage = fam widow against her will
Remmarigae = unthinkable for elite = wrote down and affect their offspring
Otehr factors = male descendants = required to perform rituals for ancestors = male could only do it = if not = adopt a son post-humously
Adoptee = close male relative from lowerr
Eldest son for rituals = ancestor rituals until own son came of age = widows had a bit of power over them
The Yangban
*Heredity essential to position of yangban
*Land and slave ownership was economic basis
*Dominated society, both in formal politics and at local level
*Exam degrees central to maintaining status, but also other tactics (like creation of registers of local yangban)
*Military path was treated as inferior
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Consolidated elite fam = more land, distingued position from ancestors = but not military = power from office holders = //scholars, but heredity = slave holding too
Respected ancestors to maintain status = holders of exam degree = rituals and master conf classic = duty of every young boy = marker of good fam history = exams were ancestors fpr commoners = but had to have some ancestors to have it
Free from household tax, labor work and military service
Position seperate = register and close the register to new entrances = when people succeeded exams
Dominated choson society = leaders = most scholars .. = talks, informal leadership, segregated from commners and live by branch
Can relocate for new opportunities but would concentrate with particular regions = top officials, often move to seoul but = retirement to villagers
Power = land holding and salary = largest estates
Military = exams were secondary = lots took it but from less prestigeous backgrounds = most came from diff exams and lineages = segregation = second class status = military weakness cuz not valued
Education
*Education seen as having important moral function
*Network of schools established across country, including village schools, hyanggyo and National Confucian Academy
*Becoming a yuhak by entering hyanggyo was a mark of yangban status
Not just exam
Means of personal self culti = texts conf = hel devlop moral characte = outside of yangban should be doing
Schools = recruited officials = cillage schools = very popular = local schools by the state to prepare for exam = handful of students = entering had a status and exempt of military status and yangbang status =
Passed lower = conf academy
Commoners = not much from village schools = still read basic texts = among men, pretty good literary = women in elites would have a bit more edu
Major contributor of literacy
Han’gŭl
*Alphabetic system used to write Korean phonetically
*Invented by King Sejong (r. 1418-1450)
*Chinese writing remained dominant among elite
*Women were frequent users of han’gŭl
*Calligraphy
*petitioning
*Alphabetic system used to write Korean phonetically
*Invented by King Sejong (r. 1418-1450)
*Chinese writing remained dominant among elite
*Women were frequent users of han’gŭl
*Calligraphy
*petitioning
Koreans - complex spund system - diff for ch
King sejong = 4th king = invented itself = based on sophisticated ling principles = based on mouth and tong positions = combiles in syllables in square boxes
1446 = first text
2oth = actuall use
prestige of chinese nad neoconf classics = reluctant to writing in ch = hanggul with women’s writing //hiragana = broder public in hanggul, state stuff in chinese, litterary
Women = elite, calligrapjy = mrk of culture and sophistication = before only caligraphy = had men show of of their female relatives and could do that
Emphasize gender positions = help to emphasize difficulties and petitions = officials with more sympathy = deploy it association strategically to coax male elite and state
Slavery
*Slavery justified by idea that slaves descended from criminals
*Slaves differentiated from commoners by naming practices
*Up to 40% of Chosŏn population were slaves
*Yangban concerned about own children becoming slaves
*Advocacy to change inheritance rules
*Personally removing children from slavery
*Advocacy for children of concubines to be allowed access to exams
Large pop of slave = lowest
Descendants of criminals = justifications = most of eco reaosns
Distinguished by name = no surnames, on korean based = not chinese or elite rate
Marriage forbidden = givem to dlave parents when children
Maintin eco position = 40% slave at pic, until end 18th
Concerns for the state = moral problems, too many slaves for military = status of own children, concubines = expectations to get one of lower status = children were slaves too = diff from china (all children were equally treated) = moral dillema for fathers = own own children or brother and sisters = push for reforms = slaves only on paternal line instead = didnt go through = personal level = free if owner or buy child freedom
Stigmate attached = source of debates = right to take exam = lack of status for women = but fathers concerned = criticism of slavery = yangban worried about immorality of enslavement of own children
Discussion: Wang, “Chosŏn’s Office of Interpreters”
1.What concerns did the Chosŏn state have about translators? How did the establishment of the Office of Interpreters help to address those concerns?
2.What sorts of skills (beyond linguistic ability) did interpreters need to possess? How did they acquire those skills?
3.What does Sixiang Wang mean when he describes the Office of Interpreters as a bureaucratic institution? Why does he see the argument that early modern Korea had bureaucracy as important?
Realtions with other countries = especially china = under
Embassies with ying = tribute missions for ch emperor = served for scholars to get cultural trends and claim litteracy
Northern border too = source of concern = jap too
Deal with them = office of interpreters
1- threat for their own interest, mongol domination to raise their status = do things more routinely, education and training under state control = excluded to move into upper ranks , overseen by non-interpreters comming from the elite = social background is low to make sure it is kept distinct
2- diplomatic interractions, training through experiment, pass knowledge through interpretors and learn through opportunities
3- not a european modern invention, product of their own development = affect necessary conditions to bureaucratic gov
Recap
*Neo-Confucianism reshaped Korean society during the Chosŏn period, especially among the elite
*Chosŏn featured a massive decline in the status of women – the image of premodern Korea as a deeply patriarchal society is to a great degree the result of changes that didn’t take place until Chosŏn
*The invention of han’gŭl was a major linguistic accomplishment, but had little effect on elite writing: most important for women
