Empire by Association: The Re-Organization of the Rural Economy in Colonial Korea

Image (cropped): "Poster" reprinted in Akita Yukata, Chosen kinyu kumiashi (1929)

Dr. Holly Stephens, University of Edinburgh

Tuesday, January 11, 2022
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Pacific Time)

This talk explores changes in the rural economy during Japanese colonial rule in Korea. Though often presumed to be a “traditional” industry, numerous colonial policies sought the transformation of Korean agriculture to meet the demands of the broader Japanese empire. Yet, while the colonial period was undoubtedly a period of significant transformation, many questions remain over the extension of colonial policies and the ways in which new practices reshaped the mundane activities that formed day-to-day agricultural life. This presentation uses previously unexamined farmers’ diaries to reveal the experience of colonial rule in everyday life.

Dr. Holly Stephens received her Ph.D. in History from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017. As a historian of Korea and Japan, her research interests range widely to include economic history, agriculture, empire, everyday life, village organizations, and the emergence of the modern state. Her current monograph project—Empire by Association: The Re-Organization of the Rural Economy in Modern Korea—examines the changes to Korean agriculture from the late nineteenth century through the colonial period amidst immense political upheaval.

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koreanstudies@international.ucla.edu

Sponsor(s): Center for Korean Studies