The present thesis aims to analyze the backgrounds and principles of the formation of the Korean community in terms of the perspectives of the sociology of knowledge and social historical methods. According to the analysis of the historical background...
The present thesis aims to analyze the backgrounds and principles of the formation of the Korean community in terms of the perspectives of the sociology of knowledge and social historical methods. According to the analysis of the historical backgrounds of the formation of the community in Korea through the sociology of knowledge, Korean tend to be community-oriented throughout history mainly due to naturalism and humanism in traditional Korean social thought and practical social value system.
Throughout the Korean history the formation of the Korean community has been based upon several social thoughts including Korean traditional shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism, fungsu or Korean geomancy and Confucianism. In this study, the historical backgrounds of the Korean community have been analyzed by periods such as primitive, ancient, three-kingdom, Chosun dynasty and modern societies. The analysis reveals types of communities including such as family, village, association and legal groups.
The major principles of the community formation seemde to be (1)jong(emotional sentient), (2)uiri(moral obligation), (3)yungo(personal connection), and yunri(moral ethics). Jong, the bases of all the principles, is defined as the feeling of intimate relationships in kinship as seen in family and kinship groups. Jong and jong space vary in situations whether personal relations are close or remote.
Yungoism, the second principle of community formation, exhibits several types such as place of origin or birth, educational connections and blood ties.
The principles of the Korean community formation have some dysfunctions in leading desirables civil spirits. The traditional community-orientedness hinders taking positive voluntary actions, thus delaying or stopping subjective judgment. Furthermore, it tends to give less value healthy function of criticism which is necessary for the democracy toe flourish.
However, the principles of the Korean community formation have more positive functions than negative ones. Industrialization, urbanization and increasing emphasis on materialism have inevitably brought, alienation, loss of individuality and social disorganization in almost every aspect. In these situations the Korea-particular community spirits or sentiments can be an alternative to meet with those negative functions or trends specified in the above. In a sense, familism, yungoism and ethical community sentiments themselves can be an ideal goal very human society aspires to achieve or to arrive.
Considering the continuity of Korean culture and society, the mature of conservatism and group orientendness of Korean people, it is though that the principles of the Korean community formation will not easily or drastically transformed in the near future.