Abstract

In the history of Korea, and also in the history of various discourses such as those of the sciences and literature, the Japanese occupation in 1910 is a big turning point. The discourse system before this turn and the system after it can be contrasted with each other. The present paper attempts to apply to the Korean scenario two discourse theories for the analysis of historical turns. It should be emphasized that only exemplary insights are given here. The first theory is by Michel Foucault. His Order of Things analyzes the pivotal moment about 1800 and contrasts the discourse system of Europe of the 17th and 18th centuries with that of the 19th and 20th centuries. The world was understood in the former through a tabular scheme, as in an encyclopedia, but in the latter, the world was understood according to the time axis, as in human sciences. This contrast can be compared with the contrast of the Korean discourse systems before and after the Japanese occupation. In the former, besides Confucianism, the principle of the spatial comprehension of the world was dominant. However, in the latter, the comprehension of the world was according to the timeline through human sciences, which were introduced from the West and Japan. The second theory is by Friedrich Kittler. His Discourse Networks 1800/1900 analyzes the historical turn around 1900 and emphasizes the materiality of literary discourses post-1900. The same can also be observed in the literature by the Korean Yi Sang, especially in the translation of his Japanese works into Korean.

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