계몽기 문화 개념의 운동성과 사회이론

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the complex changes in the concept of ‘文化,’ from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries in Korea. This movements can be characterized as follows：1) 文化 as the classical context for expressing the ruling principle of Confucianism；2) 文化 as a synonym for 文明 (開化), the word used to translate ‘Civilization’；and 3) 文化 used as a translation for ‘Culture /Kultur,’ for the first time. These three concepts of ‘文化’ experienced a shift in their media usage as they interacted with each other through mutual syntheses and acquisitions. In this thesis they are classified for analysis as the ‘residual,’ ‘dominant,’ and ‘emergent’ concepts, an approach which aims to reveal their dynamic interactions with the various historical changes in the academic and educational fields which took place during the Korean Enlightenment. ‘文化’ as a translation for ‘Civilization’ became the officially sanctioned usage through a process whereby 文化 as a synonym for civilization and enlightenment during the 1900s moved from political magazines and academic journals read by students studying abroad into textbooks intended for elementary and middle school students. Moreover, the field of meaning of ‘文化’ grew more complex as it came to encompass both the residual concept of ‘文化’ and the emergent concept of ‘文化’. Thus, although the classical concept of ‘文化’ to express the ruling principle of Confucianism was officially established as a conventional factor in the relatively conservative field of education, the concept of ‘文化’ was also capable of constituting an alternative system of meaning or value which could then be integrated into the broader system of the general and officially accepted social order. Subsequently, as the major concepts of modern social theories, such as society, the individual, the nation, etc., emerged, 文化 happened to include the concept of Kultur/Culture. In studying the development of the concepts represented by 文化 since the 1910s, it is essential to recognize the limitations which arise from its abstract character, and the way in which these affect the understanding of matters intrinsic or imputed to the concepts of ‘Society,’ ‘the Individual,’ etc.