1930-1940년대 京城帝國大學史學會의 결성과 활동

Abstract

The Keijo Imperial University Historical Society was established in May 1931, based on the Department of History within the Faculty of Law and Letters at Keijo Imperial University. Initially a small research group known as 'Sahwa-hoe,' it expanded and reorganized to form the society. Unlike other Japanese-dominated historical societies composed of professional researchers, this s ociety a lso served a s a social g roup f or f aculty a nd alumni w hile engaging in practical historical research activities primarily involving students. The establishment of the society was likely led by the inaugural president and professor, Shogo Oda. However, after Oda retired from his professorship a year later, Professor Katsuma Otani, who specialized in Oriental History, succeeded him as president. Both regular and executive secretaries were drawn from current students and alumni of the Department of History, with Japanese members outnumbering Korean members by more than double. There was a notable predominance of members specializing in Oriental History over Korean History and Japanese History, reflecting the specialization of the second president, Katsuma Otani, in Oriental History and the career trajectories of the executive secretaries toward positions in related institutions or public offices in Manchuria and Mongolia. This trend aligned with Keijo Imperial University's slogan of aiming for 'authority in Oriental cultural research' and coincided with Japan's full-scale continental aggression. The primary activity of the Keijo Imperial University Historical Society was the publication of the Keijo Imperial University Historical Society Bulletin. However, its publication was irregular and lacked consistency, with each issue averaging around 45 pages. From the eighth issue onward, efforts were made to enhance its scholarly quality by including research papers, book reviews, travelogues, and various indexes, and by changing its title from 'bulletin' to 'journal'. Each issue consistently featured two to three papers, predominantly related to Oriental History and Korean History. Students contributed more articles than professors, with many articles based on or related to their graduation thesis topics. The society held 'regular meetings' three to six times annually, where historical research papers were presented. These meetings also included presentations a nd analyses o f artif acts a nd s ites, t ravelogues, and book reviews. Although primarily presented by society members, occasionally lecturers from other departments within the Faculty of Law and Letters or visiting researchers from Japan participated. These meetings provided students with opportunities to publicly present and discuss their research and to learn from their professors' research achievements and overseas experiences. This practice of public presentation, along with journal publication, served as a form of research training. Additionally, the society engaged in field trips and school visits as part of its research and educational activities. After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the society adapted to the times by publishing writings aligned with imperialist ideology and historical perspectives, and by organizing events to support members who had gone to the battlefield. As members of a colonial imperial university, they actively participated in and responded to the wartime conditions. Nevertheless, the war-induced inflation and unpaid membership dues severely impacted the society's operations. I n 1938, the paper control policy of the Governor-General of Korea further hindered the journal's publication. As the wartime mobilization system intensified, the conscription deferment for humanities students was lifted in 1943, and the Department of Literature, History, and Philosophy within the Faculty of Law and Letters was consolidated into the Department of Literature. Consequently, the Keijo Imperial University Historical Society lost its foundation and had to cease its activities.