Korean Studies in America: Options for the Future, and: Reflections on a Century of United States-Korean Relations (review)

BOOK REVIEWS101 informants, and may leave a community with the uncomfortable feeling that only halfofthe population is adequately represented in their field notes. A husband and wife research team apparently avoids this problem. Since the text deals primarily with the ancestor cult, Korean women may seem to be stage hands involved with food preparations, who then quietly observe the ceremonies from one ofthe wings. A close look, particularly at the role of married women, reveals that they are not shrinking violets in a male-dominated world. The authors offer convincing evidence that Korean women display a capacity for independent action which is often greater than that ofKorean men. Boys being held in greater esteem, the necessity ofleaving her natal family upon marriage, and the often difficult adjustment to her husband's family, are some of her experiences that tend to produce a resourceful, resilient personality. Among the conclusions of the authors is that social organization probably has had a greater influence upon the development of ancestor worship than has Neo-Confucian ideology, which other writers have emphasized in the past. The Korean ancestor cult should be seen as an expression ofagnatic solidarity involving "obligations generated by both inheritance and household succession and [by] a compromise between primogeniture and equal inheritance." Despite my admiration for this publication, I must confess that on several occasions, while reading the text and recalling my own field experiences, the description of Twisöngdwi seemed almost one of an idealized Korean rural community. The authors, however, do repeatedly refer to the conservatism ofTwisöngdwi, and note that, commencing in the late 1970s, outside influences began to appear in village life. Perhaps with this excellent publication as a benchmark, the authors will return to the community in a few years and give particular attention to changes after 1978. Eugene 1. Knez University of Hawaii Korean Studies in America: Options for the Future. Edited by Ronald A. Morse. Lanham, Maryland, New York, and London: The Wilson Center and University Press ofAmerica, 1983. 144pp. $13.50 (paper). Reflections on a Century of United States-Korean Relations. Edited by Ronald A. Morse. Lanham, Maryland, New York, and London: Academy ofKorean Studies/The Wilson Center and University Press of America, 1983. 371pp. $18.50 (paper). These two volumes appear in the aftermath of the flurry of academic activity accompanying the centennial of Korean-American relations. In a sense, as much has been thought about, spoken about, and written about Korean-American relations and Korean studies in America in the last few years as was done in all of the 1970s. All this is good for the Korea field, of course, and is reflected to some extent in the remarks made at the November 1982 conference held at The Wilson 102BOOK REVIEWS Center which produced Korean Studies in America. Participating in the conference were fifty-five well-known figures in the field of Korean studies, nineteen of whom presented reports which form the corpus of this volume. As a whole this work is a useful guide in assessing where we have been and where we are going in the field of Korean studies in the United States. After a brief opening section entitled "Support for Korean Studies in the United States," which deals largely with questions ofmonetary support, the bulk of the report is divided into two sections: "Fundamental Issues for Korean Studies" and "An Assessment ofthe Field." Overall the bad news outweighs the good: there are few Korean-language programs; there are even fewer programs in Korean studies; graduates of such programs often have difficulty finding relevant academic or professional employment; there is little student demand for Korea-related courses; Americans in general are not very interested in or knowledgeable about Korea; Korea rarely appears as subject matter prior to the college level; there is no adequate history ofmodern Korea in English; Korean language teaching materials remain substandard; most of the people engaged in Korean studies are of Korean ancestry; and, most important, funding is low, with little prospect for increase. Many of these limitations are interrelated and, therefore, self-reinforcing. There are bright spots. The number of dissertations, articles, books, conferences , and panel discussions on Korean topics has continued to...