명청시대(明淸時代) 환경사 연구의 성과와 전망 ― ‘환경 속 인간’에서 ‘인간 속 환경’으로 ― = Retrospect and Prospect of Environmental History Studies in Ming-Qing China ― From Humanity within Environment to Environment within Humanity ―

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to review the previous scholarship and offer perspectives for future researches on the environmental history of the Ming-Qing in Korean academia. Notably, it attempts to fill the void as there have been barely any critical reviews of pre-existing studies on this topic. The main objects of analysis were the articles registered on the Korea Citation Index (KCI) that covered “humanity within environment” and “environment within humanity.” These articles were classified into the following three sub-categories, namely classifying how humanity were “victims,” “developers,” or “overcomers” in their relationship with the environment.
The best way to adapt to the surrounding environment that had already been disrupted beyond restoration, ironically, was continuing the development and thus holding the status-quo. Human-made development affected all aspects of the adjacent environment, including but not limited to vegetation, animals, and soil. In turn, the environment caused significant changes to the local community, such as the changes seen in the residential pattern, economy, and customs. Following the rapid population growth in the Qing and the ensuing imbalance between the population and resources, an ongoing process of conflict between the newly migrated people and the original local people, the cultivation of barren land, the exploitation of woods leading to the destruction of forests, the erosion of soil continued. Only after the environmental changes resulted in natural disasters did humanity realize the severity of the ecological damage. Through this process of trial and error, the state - among others various level or human-made organizations and institutions - understood the need for introducing a more systematic and organized reaction to the relations between humanity and the environment. Once we expand our scholarly inquisition to include long term environmental changes, we will have a better understanding of the humanity that sees people in a more various and enriched perspective.