수공예를 통한 여성의 직업의식과 정체성 표출 －경제개발․산업화시기를 중심으로－

Abstract

A tradition in Korean Confucian society, handicrafts such as needlework, knotting methods, and embroidery have been considered essential virtues and skillsets that women should possess. Handicraft, which women needed to learn to be ‘self-sufficient’ during daily life, was technologically reborn during a period of economic development, industrialization, and through the Japanese occupation of Korea. The majority of the economic development happened in a short period of time during which events such as the 1) liberation of Korea from Japan occupation, 2) Korean War of 1950, and 3) post-war military dictatorship/rule by military officers brought women whom had all made personal sacrifices (to support the success of their male counterparts) and were marginalized in education to the forefront of the businesses. Women introduced to business world, they obtained a means of gaining effective employment and earning income through their handicraft skills. Regular use their handicraft skills resulted in the progressive evolution of handicraft techniques throughout Korea. Korean women remained very active during these times of economic development and industrialization by earning income and assuming responsibility for the family’s finances. However, the majority of responsibilities held by women went largely unnoticed by the rest of the country. Hand sewing was largely replaced the emergence of the sewing machine. However, hand sewing remained as a critical talent within the skillset of many women. Even in today’s world of machined (i.e., sewing machine) clothing products previously pulled together by hand (manually), handicrafts continue to maintain a presence in Korea’s “ready-to-go” wear and industrial products mainly as a result of generations adjusting to the handicraft needs of their social environments/cultures and by continuing to abide by the tradition of passing the skills from generation to generation (i.e., mother to daughter). Due to the negligence of handicrafts in previous generations, it is crucial in today’s culture to re-recognize and re-incorporate these skills (i.e., hand sewing, needlework, and embroidery) into the daily lives of Korean women. This thesis follows selected women in the period of economic development (discussed above) as subjects of study on how the advancement of technology in the field of handicrafts has impacted their lives.