한 기독 신여성의 경험에 관한 연구

Abstract

The three representatives of new women in 1920s had been all Christians. They are Hye Suk Na, the first woman artist, Il Youp Kim, the first woman publisher, and Myoung Soon Kim, the first woman writer. Hye Suk believed in Christianity from her early childhood, Il Youp was a daughter of a minister, and Myoung Soon was deeply affected by Christian lives and thoughts. The new women had made severe criticisms toward patriarchy in Korea and supported equal rights between women and men in dating, sexual relationship, marital lives and so on. They had been ignored and rejected by many people under the influence of patriarchy and confucianism. In contrast, many scholars in literature, arts, family studies, feminist studies have presently appreciated their special and unique contributions to the development of women's rights in the dark ages of Korea. Since contemporary Christianity also supports equal rights of women, diverse studies and evaluation toward the women are required, I think. Thus, I discussed Hye Suk Na in this paper from a Christian perspective. Her life was divided into three periods. In the first period, she understood herself as a daughter of God and was interested in three areas to fulfill her vocation as a daughter of God; pursuing lives as a human not as a woman, serving the nations, and pursuing equality between men and women. In the second period, she kept the interests in the three areas and focused on family issues and women's experiences. In the last period, sexuality had been her main issue. Her arguments and lives are in relation to her contemporary Christianity. As the early Christianity in Korea insisted on, she supported women's equal treatment and liberation in Korean families. Yet, her argument was beyond the Christianity because of her radical views on sexuality. Rather, her ideas have been important and valuable resources for contemporary feminist theology.