일제말기 기행문의 제국담론의 미학화와 그 분열 －남양기행문을 중심으로－

Abstract

Travel essays of the later Japanese Colonial Period are records that were intended to reinforce the hegemony of the Japanese Empire, and writings that re-enacted the inside of much-divided people of the colonized nations. The essays demonstrated new possible roles of Joseon people in exploring the South Sea, which was newly incorporated into the new order of Great East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. A traveller from Joseon described Taiwan, which was colonized prior to Joseon and more civilized at the time, with strong tension and anxiety. Such comparison reflects a sub- conscious or unconscious world of the traveller from another colonized country as colonies had to compete against each other according to their contribution to the Empire’s war efforts. In addition, travel essays about new territories that were newly occupied by the Empire in the early 1940s were described from dichotomy perspectives between uncivilized and civilized, which reminded readers of external world and exotic emotions to justify the colonialization. They re-enacted the South Sea as a virgin territory and a utopia, and dem- onstrated strong commitment to civilizing the “barbaric” races and culture by transferring the culture and civilization of the Empire. Therefore, travel essays of the time were maneuvered as a cultural weapon to convince colonized people into believing that the ruling and the ruled share the same root and belong to one nation, and an emotional scheme to foster loyal subjects to the Emperor.