Korean Society Civil Society, Democracy and the State

While most analyses of Korean politics have looked to elites to explain political change, this new and revised edition of Korean Society examines the role of ordinary people in this dramatic transformation. Taking the innovative theme of 'civil society' - voluntary organizations outside the role of the state which have participated in the process of political and social democratization - the essays collected here examine Korea as one of the most dramatic cases in the world of ordinary citizens participating in the transformation of politics. Key topics discussed include: comparisons of Korean democratization to the experiences of post-authoritarian regimes elsewhere in the world comparisons of the theory of civil society as developed in Western Europe and America the legacy of Korea's Confucian past for contemporary politics and society close examinations of various civil society movements South Korea and North Korea. Conceptually innovative, up-to-date and timely, the new edition of this book will be an invaluable resource for students of contemporary Korea, Asian politics and the global struggle for democracy.

Introduction to the Second Edition Charles K. Armstrong 1. Civil Society in West and East Bruce Cumings 2. The Problematic Modernity of Confucianism: "Civil Society" in Choson Korea John Duncan 3. Civil Society and Democratization in South Korea Sunhyuk Kim 4. Engendering Civil Society: The Role of the Labor Movement Hagen Koo 5. The South Korean Student Movement: Undongkwon as Counterpublic Sphere Namhee Lee 6. Women and Civil Society in South Korea Seungsook Moon 7. Commemorating Kwangju: The 5.18 Movement and Civil Society in the Late 1990s Linda S. Lewis 8. Protestant Christianity and the State Donald N. Clark 9. Beyond the DMZ: The Possibility of Civil Society in North Korea Charles K. Armstrong

Charles K. Armstrong is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University, New York.