Details

ISBN-10: 0520292332
ISBN-13: 9780520292338
Publisher: University of California Press
Publish Date: 10/06/2020
Dimensions: 8.50" L, 5.80" W, 1.40" H

The Koreas: The Birth of Two Nations Divided

Hardcover

Price: $29.95

Overview

What history, pop culture, and diaspora can teach us about North and South Korea today.

Korea is one of the last divided countries in the world. Twins born of the Cold War, one is vilified as an isolated, impoverished, time-warped state with an abysmal human rights record and a reclusive leader who perennially threatens global security with his clandestine nuclear weapons program. The other is lauded as a thriving democratic and capitalist state with the thirteenth largest economy in the world and a model for developing countries to emulate.

In The Koreas, Theodore Jun Yoo provides a compelling gateway to understanding the divergent developments of contemporary North and South Korea. In contrast to standard histories, Yoo examines the unique qualities of the Korean diaspora experience, challenging the master narratives of national culture, homogeneity, belongingness, and identity. This book draws from the latest research to present a decidedly demythologized history, with chapters focusing on feature stories that capture the key issues of the day as they affect popular culture and everyday life. The Koreas will be indispensable to any historian, armchair or otherwise, in need of a discerning and reliable guide to the region.

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Reviews
"Yoo brings both clarity and nuance to the complex, interwoven histories of the two Koreas since 1945. . . . Although the main lines of contemporary Korean history are familiar, even specialists will learn a lot from this book."– "Foreign Affairs"
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Details

ISBN-10: 0520292332
ISBN-13: 9780520292338
Publisher: University of California Press
Publish Date: 10/06/2020
Dimensions: 8.50" L, 5.80" W, 1.40" H
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