조선후기 중화의식의 변용과 그 성격－조선중화의식의 실상에 대하여－

Abstract

Following the transition from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century and the collapse of the Sinocentric order, many Asian countries (including Japan) gradually drifted from the Sinocentric world-view and began viewing themselves as more self-centered, independent countries. Joseon was alone in continuing its Sino-centric world-views. Japanese colonial historians and Korean nationalist historians saw this Sino-centrism as the cause of Korea’s ‘flunkeyism’ and ‘stagnation,’ to the extent that they believed it was the root cause of Korea’s failure as a state. However, as national consciousness evolved in the 1980s, Korean academics started to challenge these old interpretations, bringing about the rise of new historical narratives. Additionally, whilst scholars were beginning to search for the roots of Korean nationalism within Sinocentrism, they also sought to address problems related to Korean national identity and progress within the context of Sinocentrism. Recently, as a result of the influence of Korean academia, some Chinese scholars who study the Joseon Dynasty have begun to discuss Korean nationalism alongside Korean cultural values. However, the Sino-centrism of the late Joseon Dynasty has been portrayed as originating from traditional East Asian values. This portrayal is not reflective of the nationalistic values of today. This paper analyzes the ideological origins of Joseon’s Sino-centrism within the context of the traditional values of Asian society, and the acculturation of the ideologies of Joseon’s intellectuals after the transition from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century. Through this process the true nature of Joseon’s brand of Sino-centrism will be explained. This paper will also detail the author’s opinions on what exactly Joseon’s Sinocentrism is, supporting this view with research from both Korean and Chinese academia.