Korean Society (Asia's Transformations) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415770580 ISBN 13: 9780415770583

Publisher: Routledge, 2006

Synopsis

While most analyses of Korean politics have looked to elites to explain political change, this new and revised edition of Korean Society examines the role of ordinary people in this dramatic transformation. Taking the innovative theme of 'civil society' - voluntary organizations outside the role of the state which have participated in the process of political and social democratization - the essays collected here examine Korea as one of the most dramatic cases in the world of ordinary citizens participating in the transformation of politics.

Key topics discussed include:

• comparisons of Korean democratization to the experiences of post-authoritarian regimes elsewhere in the world
• comparisons of the theory of civil society as developed in Western Europe and America
• the legacy of Korea's Confucian past for contemporary politics and society
• close examinations of various civil society movements
• South Korea and North Korea.

Conceptually innovative, up-to-date and timely, the new edition of this book will be an invaluable resource for students of contemporary Korea, Asian politics and the global struggle for democracy.

About this title

About the Author:

Charles K. Armstrong is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University, New York.

Review:

'This is an invaluable collection of essays on the origins and politics of Korean civil society from historical and comparative points of view. It is essential reading for understanding South Korea's new politics.'-Gi-Wook Shin, Stanford University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0415770580
• ISBN 13: 9780415770583
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 228
• Editor: Charles K. Armstrong