The power of books: book publication, the civil service examination, and political identity in seventeenth-century Chosǒn Korea (1392-1910)

Pyo, Jung Wook

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Description

Title

The power of books: book publication, the civil service examination, and political identity in seventeenth-century Chosǒn Korea (1392-1910)

Author(s)

Pyo, Jung Wook

Issue Date

2025-07-18

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Chow, Kai-wing

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Chow, Kai-wing

Committee Member(s)

• Kim, Jungwon
• Wilson, Roderick Ike
• Song, Myoung-Sun

Department of Study

E. Asian Languages & Cultures

Discipline

E Asian Languages & Cultures

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Book Culture
• Factional Politics

Abstract

This dissertation delves into the critical role of book culture in shaping the political, intellectual, and social dynamics of seventeenth-century Chosŏn Korea. Following the disruptive Imjin War and Manchu invasions, Chosŏn society found itself in a period of significant transformation, with the ruling yangban elite using book production and dissemination as a battleground for ideological dominance. By analyzing how publishing and control over texts production intersected with factional rivalries of political factions and Neo-Confucian schools, this study reveals how Chosŏn elites crafted new political and intellectual identities that distinguished themselves from both domestic competitors and foreign influences, especially Qing China. The dissertation is structured into four core chapters, each examining a distinct facet of book culture’s influence in Chosŏn society. The first chapter explores the governmental measures taken to revitalize book culture after the war, focusing on the role of the Kyosŏgwan and Chujaso as state-run institutions that managed printing and publication. Through a close examination of historical records, this chapter uncovers how these institutions were mobilized to support the state’s goals and how yangban elites competed for influence over these publishing channels, thereby using book culture as a means to consolidate political power. The second chapter examines the relationship between book culture and the civil service examination system, which was central to the yangban elite’s hold on power. It investigates how political factions, particularly the Westerners and Southerners, utilized official educational institutions and private academies to disseminate sanctioned texts in order to control the curriculum that prepared candidates for the civil service examinations. This chapter also reveals how these academies became breeding grounds for factional loyalty and ideological alignment, thus reinforcing factional influence within the government and the broader society. The third chapter addresses the impact of ritual controversies on book production, highlighting how Neo-Confucian ritual texts became focal points of factional conflicts. The publication of these texts not only intensified ideological debates but also served as a means for political factions to assert their views on governance and morality. By examining the extensive ritual controversies and the texts associated with them, this chapter illustrates how books became tools of ideological warfare, shaping the ethical and philosophical foundations of Chosŏn society. The final chapter focuses on the rise of vernacular explicated texts and their influence on social structures and political identity. This chapter argues that the state’s initiative to publish vernacular translations of classical texts over time promoted the growth of intellectual and cultural identity. It allowed broader access to Confucian knowledge among commoners and women, as well as fashioned a Chosŏn Neo-Confucianism, a uniquely Korean interpretation of Confucian thought. By providing the public with access to Confucian teachings in Korean, these texts fostered a sense of national identity that was distinct from both the Chinese and the Japanese, further consolidating a unique Korean identity within the ideological framework of Neo-Confucianism. In sum, this dissertation demonstrates that books in seventeenth-century Chosŏn Korea were not merely vehicles of knowledge but were instrumental in defining political power, reinforcing social hierarchies, and contributing to the forging of a Korean identity. Through a detailed exploration of book culture’s intersection with politics, education, and ritual, this research offers a nuanced perspective on how the ruling elite used literary productions to shape Chosŏn’s political and cultural landscape. The findings contribute to our understanding of the profound impact of book culture on identity formation, ideological struggle, and cultural resilience in pre-modern Korea.

Graduation Semester

2025-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130198

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Jung Wook Pyo

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