일제강점기 근대화에 따른 ‘신체론’ 부상 고찰

Abstract

Review of the Emergence of the ‘Body Theory' throughout the modernization process during the Japanese Occupation Yoo, Chul ‧ Kim, Soon-Jeon The main objective of this study was to review how Japan, throughout its modernization process, integrated the mind-body theory from Western notion into the education policy for Koreans during the Japanese occupation. The Perry incident had aroused yearning for new civilizations as well as a feeling of danger against the Western influence in Japan. Such transformation in Japan had been predominantly led by the emperor under the slogan of “establishment of the modern nation-state”. During this process, Japan acutely came to realize that the importance of enhancing national prosperity and defense, including the necessity to emphasize physical education and training of its people to counter the national power of Western countries and their apparent physical strength. Those actions took precedence over the intellectual education system maintenance, which would be necessary for understanding and acceptance of Western culture. Since then, Japan introduced physical education in its regular school education system in order to build the modern nation-state with national prosperity and military power. This transformation had allowed Japanese people to recognize “mind and body” as a unity. Unlike Western physical education, aiming to ease human’s aggressive tendency, modern Japan had introduced the modified body theory to its people with the objective of “overthrowing the Western powers”. However, through this study, it is found that the aggressive body theory which had been modified and developed by Japan was only applied to its people. Japan had thoroughly applied a different body theory, the separation of mind and body to Koreans in order to suppress any aggressive tendency from Koreans against Japanese occupation, and increase their obedience to Japanese imperialism.