My study investigates the characteristics and changes of women's social life in the province of Gangwon from the prehistoric age, in which myth came into existence, to the Japanese colonial era, in which principal impetus for forming regional society ...
My study investigates the characteristics and changes of women's social life in the province of Gangwon from the prehistoric age, in which myth came into existence, to the Japanese colonial era, in which principal impetus for forming regional society was formed.
Especially, by collecting and analyzing a wide range of data including not only literary historical materials but also epigraph, oral history, visual materials, newspaper articles, I focused on grass-root women marginalized and forgotten in previous historical studies on women in Gangwon.
Although my research might contain somewhat weak evidence from the positivist perspective, I could successfully find out the general characteristics of women's lives in Gangwon region.
Geographically speaking, Baek-Du-Dae-Gan, the highest mountain range of Korea, divides Gangwon province into two regions: one is the eastern, maritime region and the other is the western, mountainous region. Mountainous geography of the west affected in founding myth of Mago-Halmi, and maritime environment of the east influenced in the myth worshipping goddesses such as Yong-Deung-Halmi. The goddesses in the myth of Gwangwon have complex images in terms of social status, age, occupational hierarchy, and personality, which reflects women's diverse living experiences. The deification of women in the region was indebted to people's expectation that women's unyielding will to survival would help people break through difficulties and hardships in the life.
In the medieval age women's life world became limited to indoor and the identity of virtuous woman was considered desirable and ideal for all women. In this era, official kisaengs in Gangneung independently secured substantial social status and contributed to making Gangneung informed as a place of elegant entertainment. After retirement, many of them became wealthy and maintained liberal life culture.
Because Gangwon province was geographically isolated due to its mountainous landforms and underdeveloped transport network, the region had been relatively conservative in adopting alien values and culture and remained strong in its governing ideology. Despite such a conservative and exclusive regional milieu, Keumwon Kim and her clan executed a variety of outdoor activities, so that women's interests had become changed from their indoor household chores to outdoor social activities.
In the end of Chosun dynasty, grass-root women in Gangwon province mobilized troops to resist to Japanese ruling. The mobilization is the only case in the country. Their movement was based on women's strong alliance and cooperation in 1895, and eventually succeeded in constructing organizations in 1907.
Because of the insularity and exclusivity in Gangwon province, women's movement in the region could not develop their modern consciousness. Although the early 20th century was one of the most politically, socially, and culturally dynamic eras in Korean history, no local newspaper was published in Gwangwon province. For this reason, the region remained passive in adapting itself to modern cultural changes. Furthermore, as Japanese colonial ruling specifically focused on militarism in the aftermath of China-Japan War of 1938 until 1945, women's movement in Gangwon province lost and degraded their voluntary self-help capabilities due to militaristic policies such as brain-washing women and government-controlled women's organizations.
The thoughts and experiences prevailed in this era became principal factors which formed regional society in direct and indirect ways. I anticipate that subsequent studies following my research will explore how women's self-development capacities and their will to survival had been unfolded in the region after the extermination of Japanese colonial ruling.