미국의 문화냉전과 ‘자유 동아시아’의 구축, 연쇄 그리고 균열 - 미국정부의 도서계획과 한국사회 지식인의 인식 -

Abstract

US government in the Cold War era had an urgent task to achieve for the victory in the Cold War and American leading postwar world order. That was to re-incorporate East Asian region under the orbit of Western hegemony, or, more precisely, to re-arrange East Asia into ‘free Asia’ where American hegemony can control over. In this respect, this article aims to clarify the intellectual mechanism of how American values and interests, the basis of 'Free East Asia', were spread and shared by examining The Book Program aggressively prosecuted by the US government during the Cold War. Also, I’d like to contribute to a better understanding of nationalism manifested in East Asia during the Cold War through inquiring reactions about The Book Program in Korea and other East Asian countries. The US government in the Cold War era treated ‘book’ as a basic yet best means to secure intellectual, moral leadership. To secure its influence as a leader in the Free World, the US government distributed American publications, especially translations, and supported local intellectuals' publishing so that American institutions and values can be spread wide by local people. The Book Program took a huge part in winning the Cold War and building the hegemony in the postwar world, and censorship was used as a method to accomplish these. The censorship over The Book Program aimed at both American domestic and local intellectuals. To incorporate East Asia into the community sharing American values and anticommunism, the US government translated related publications into various East Asian languages and distributed them simultaneously. The translation of those books were circulated as local USIS (the United States Information Service) required. The Book Program of the US government was able to obtain good results in East Asian region due to East Asian countries’ nationalist aspiration to overcome their ‘cultural backwardness’. However, the US government’s attempt to forge ‘free Asia’ ruptured itself. Even intellectuals who participated in The Book Program in Korea where was regarded as the bastion of anticommunism displayed resistance about it. Among Korean intellectuals supported by The Book Program were ones who considered American institution and value as something to achieve and ultimately overcome for the autonomous modernization in Korea. How could this irony and rupture happen? The expansion of western imperialism, Japanese colonial rule, war situation, and the experience of The April Revolution made intellectuals in Korean society consider imperialism and colonialism prior to the ideological standard in matters of the US government's hegemony building. And this made most of Korean intellectuals reconsider accepting America as an universal concept, deny American hegemony, and moreover, seek the third way.