1960～1970년대의 제3세계론과 제3세계문학론

Abstract

The changes in the existing East-West relations and the new emergence of North- South problems in the 1960s and 1970s marked a turning-point in the Cold War order. At that time, the diplomatic abilities and international position of Korea were questioned and criticized. At the core of this criticism was the idea of ”the third world", the important field in which competition for national interest occurred and in which the confrontation between South and North Korea was translated into action. However, the realistic and ideological category of "the third world" was not always approached from the perspective of utilitarian nationalism (국가주의) or actual profit in the 1960s and 1970s. It is notable that significant awareness and understanding of "the third world" were built by intellectuals at that period. The appearance of new thought was developed by internalization of "the third world-ness" as Korea's very own. This paper explores the theory of the third world and the third world's literature in the 1960s and 1970s. The third world's literature theory shows the context in which "the third world", a social science concept, spilled into the humanities and was cultivated as counter-knowledge. Looking at the theory of neocolonialism and neonationalism, Minjokkyeongjeron (the Theory of National Economy), and Minjokmunhakron (the Theory of National Literature), this paper examines their relationship with the theory of the third world and the third world's literature. In addition, Paik Nak-chung’s theory of the third world's literature is reviewed to suggest that it should be critically reappraised within the problematic framework of “responsibility”. Furthermore, this paper intends to ponder the ways and the reasons why the passion of resistant knowledge produced and pursued by semantic concepts such as nation (민족), minjung (민중), and the third world should be reorganized or revived today.