The Culture of Capitalist Development in East Asia

This article explores the capitalist development of East Asia through a new interpretation of modernization that specifically emphasizes the validity and relevance of culture. Modernization, understood as a distinct historical process initiated in the West and dispersed worldwide since the turn of the 16th century, entails the dialectical dynamics of international acculturation and the adaptive changes of individual indigenous societies. Applying this general framework, including several principles of social change, I illustrate the cultural dynamics of capitalist development in Korea and briefly compare it with that of China and Japan. In closing, I suggest that this topic needs to be examined on a civilizational plane to understand the true significance of capitalist development in East Asia.