근대의학 담론이 ‘한센병’에 미친 영향 - ‘한하운의 텍스트를 중심으로’ -

Abstract

This study understood the effects and meanings of values of the time on ‘Hansen’s disease’ through Han, Ha-Un’s texts. The poet experienced Hansen’s disease his own, and materialized the time of pain and despair through poems, proses, and explanation books. His texts show the discrimination, cold attitude, and perception of people of the time(1930-1950) viewing ‘people with Hansen’s disease’. Such people’s cold attitude and perception were combined with the discourse on hygiene created by the Japanese colonial politics, and the chronic prejudice against Hansen’s disease. Forming the dichotomous values, the discourse on hygiene placed health(normal)/disease (abnormal) in the oppositional position. The discourse on hygiene of the Japanese colonial politics was a trick to easily achieve the colonization of the Joseon internally while it was also a propaganda tool of good politics outside. The sovereigns showed their status and power and also justified their rule through the exclusion and inclusion of people with Hansen’s disease. Their discourse on hygiene banished people with Hansen’s disease by treating them as beings who were morally/ethically corrupted and disturbed the social order. The modern bio-politics made people with Hansen’s disease Homo Sacer, which was working as the basis of universal rights of humans. They separated people with Hansen’ disease as others, and then proved the sovereign’s status and power through the exclusion and inclusion within laws and order. The sovereign treated people with Hansen’s disease with violence and banished them. People thoroughly alienated people with Hansen’s disease for the anxiety about the possibility of becoming Homo Sacer one day. Thus, in order to become a sovereign, they followed or showed indifferent/cold responses and selfish behaviors. The doctors and pharmacists of the time refused to treat people with Hansen’s disease or did not sell medicine to them in the position of sovereign. Han, Ha-Un criticizes and resists the sovereigns’ method to distinguish others through the negation of negation, paradox, and solidarity between others. He aimed to verify himself who was excluded and captured, and also to communicate with society through writing. The writing was the life, love, and the power to endure people’s prejudice and contempt. Through the work of explaining his poems again, he repetitively experiences the pain of Hansen’s disease. The repetition here moves towards the creation of another meaning by forming rhythms, which becomes the process of healing.