‘국학’에서 ‘한국학’으로, 새로운 진로의 모색—『민족문화연구』 한국사(전근대) 연구의 회고—

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on research achievements in the field of pre-modern Korean history, focusing on the papers published in the journal “Korean Cultural Studies” (RIKS) from its inaugural issue to the 99th issue by the Research Institute of Korean Studies at Korea University. This is intended to commemorate the publication of the 100th issue of RIKS and, on the other hand, to review 60 years of research history leading up to 2024, anticipating the 60th anniversary since its establishment in 1964. Quantitatively, the review results show a total of 186 articles in the field of pre-modern Korean history, with 17 of them being data releases. When classified by field, there are 5 articles on archaeology, 7 on art history, 10 on folklore, and in the field of Korean history, there are 22 articles on ancient history, 22 on the Goryeo period, 18 on the early Joseon period, 76 on the late Joseon period, and 7 on the somewhat ambiguous period of the Joseon dynasty, with 2 on the pre-modern period. Among the 147 articles in the field of pre-modern history, according to the classification by era and topic, the most preferred topic by researchers is political history. In contrast, social history does not seem to be prominent, especially in the Goryeo period. Additionally, economic history is heavily biased towards the late Joseon period, except for one article on the Goryeo period, indicating significant differences between fields. Next, the review of content and topics identified several research trends. Firstly, before the year 2000, foundational research laying the groundwork for Korean studies and various papers by scholars from diverse disciplines related to traditional culture were published. Critiques of the heteronomy and notion of stagnated development of colonial historiography and expressions of pride in Korean culture were emphasized. Secondly, since the 1960s, the intrinsic development theory that emerged while criticizing the heteronomy and notion of stagnated development of colonial historiography has been critically inherited. Thirdly, around the year 2000, there was a shift in direction from ‘國學’ (national studies) to ‘韓國學’ (Korean studies). In addition, 18 special features and 31 studies related to pre-modern Korean history were conducted, and 17 resources were introduced under the title “Introduction to Overseas Korean Studies Materials.”