‘조선 중기’를 바라보는 두 개의 시선 —한국과 미국의 역사학계 비교— (A Comparison of Korean and American Historians' Perception of the Mid-Joseon Era)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국사연구회
· 수록지 정보 : 한국사연구 / 143호 / 243 ~ 291페이지
· 저자명 : 김성우

초록

In Palais' optic, there were in fact five unique characteristics of Korean history which could be identified 1) the existence of a slave society; 2) the presence of a strong aristocratic yangban class; 3) hereditary factionalism; 4) the frailty of the absolute monarch; and 5) the long-term continuity and stability of the dynasty. The perception of Korean premodern history established by Edward Wagner and his pupil James B. Palais subsequently became the commonly accepted view amongst American scholars.
However, in his studies conducted after the 1980s Wagner came to recognize the fact that the social structure of the Joseon dynasty had in fact changed over time. In this regard, he maintained that while Joseon Society had been relatively mobile during the 15th century, it had started to show signs of becoming a closed society in the 16th, only to develop into a rigid society from the 17th century onwards. These changes were further expounded upon in studies carried out on the subject of the Korean lineal system conducted by the likes of Martina Deuchler and Mark Peterson. Such studies on the Korean lineal system helped to shed light on importance of three particular periods, namely the mid-16th century(point at which change was begun), mid-17th century(point at which change was concretized), and the 18th century(point at which change was finalized).
Studies dealing with the history of the Korean social and lineal systems conducted by American scholars during the 1980s and 1990s tended to overall mesh with those carried out by their Korean counterparts from the 1980s onwards. These studies on the history of the social and lineal systems identified the 15th century as a period in which elements of tradition and mobility coexisted within a society that had yet to completely remove the remnants of the order that prevailed during the Koryo era. Moreover, the 16th century was singled out as the period in which a Joseon-style order emerged and a rigid social structure took root.
The 16th and 17th centuries were marked by the emergence of the sajok as the ruling class, and by their successful establishment of a new social order. The main actors behind the changes that occurred during this period were of course the sajok class. While the sajok class obtained an exemption from corporal punishment and family communal punishment from the state in the 1520s, it effectively secured exclusive rights to civil and military positions in the 1530s. This was followed up thereafter by their securing of the rights to administer local communities in the 1560s. The final step in the process that saw the sajok become accepted as the main players within the state and the Joseon dynasty came in the form of the exemption from military service obtained during the 1620s.
One very interesting point which can be identified is the simultaneity that existed in terms of the growth of the sajok calss and the Confucian transformation of Joseon society. The mid-16th century has been identified as the point in time in which the transformation of the lineal system began in earnest. This period coincides with the sajok's obtaining of the exemption from corporal punishment and family communal punishment, as well as their gaining of the right to administer local communities. Meanwhile, the acceleration of the transformation of the lineal system took place during the early and the mid-17th century. Here again, a certain overlap exists, as this period coincided with the sajok's securing of an exemption from military service, and of other general privileges usually reserved for the members of the ruling class, from the state. By this point, there were no longer any obstacles to the actualization within society of the Neo-confucian school of thought that formed the backbone of the political philosophy of the sajok. At this juncture, the sajok perceived their mission and responsibility to history as being that of spreading the Neo-confucian perception of the world within Joseon society, and achieving the great Confucian transformation. In this regard, the fundamental task which had to be carried out in order to achieve a Neo-Confucian based society was that of establishing a patriarchal lineal system that was based on the Jongbeop(宗法, agnatic principle). As such, the fact that the transformation of the lineal system started during the 1620s, was accelerated during the mid-17th century, and was completed during the early 18th century, was no accident.
In this regard, the period which spanned from the 16th century, when the sajok calss started to be formed, to the early 18th century, in which a sajok-oriented ruling structure was established and the Confucian transformation led by sajok calss was completed, must be perceived as a single period. Moreover, the 16th-17th centuries should also be regarded as a single period when viewed from the standpoint of the great Confucian transformation. This period differed in many regards from the previous era known as early Joseon(15th century), in which the sajok class first emerged and the Confucianization process had yet to be begun in earnest, and the late Joseon(after the early 18th century) period in which the Confucianization process was completed and socioeconomic changes and a rigid social structure emerged simultaneously. When viewed from this particular standpoint, this period can indeed be classified as the mid-Joseon era.

영어초록

In Palais' optic, there were in fact five unique characteristics of Korean history which could be identified 1) the existence of a slave society; 2) the presence of a strong aristocratic yangban class; 3) hereditary factionalism; 4) the frailty of the absolute monarch; and 5) the long-term continuity and stability of the dynasty. The perception of Korean premodern history established by Edward Wagner and his pupil James B. Palais subsequently became the commonly accepted view amongst American scholars.
However, in his studies conducted after the 1980s Wagner came to recognize the fact that the social structure of the Joseon dynasty had in fact changed over time. In this regard, he maintained that while Joseon Society had been relatively mobile during the 15th century, it had started to show signs of becoming a closed society in the 16th, only to develop into a rigid society from the 17th century onwards. These changes were further expounded upon in studies carried out on the subject of the Korean lineal system conducted by the likes of Martina Deuchler and Mark Peterson. Such studies on the Korean lineal system helped to shed light on importance of three particular periods, namely the mid-16th century(point at which change was begun), mid-17th century(point at which change was concretized), and the 18th century(point at which change was finalized).
Studies dealing with the history of the Korean social and lineal systems conducted by American scholars during the 1980s and 1990s tended to overall mesh with those carried out by their Korean counterparts from the 1980s onwards. These studies on the history of the social and lineal systems identified the 15th century as a period in which elements of tradition and mobility coexisted within a society that had yet to completely remove the remnants of the order that prevailed during the Koryo era. Moreover, the 16th century was singled out as the period in which a Joseon-style order emerged and a rigid social structure took root.
The 16th and 17th centuries were marked by the emergence of the sajok as the ruling class, and by their successful establishment of a new social order. The main actors behind the changes that occurred during this period were of course the sajok class. While the sajok class obtained an exemption from corporal punishment and family communal punishment from the state in the 1520s, it effectively secured exclusive rights to civil and military positions in the 1530s. This was followed up thereafter by their securing of the rights to administer local communities in the 1560s. The final step in the process that saw the sajok become accepted as the main players within the state and the Joseon dynasty came in the form of the exemption from military service obtained during the 1620s.
One very interesting point which can be identified is the simultaneity that existed in terms of the growth of the sajok calss and the Confucian transformation of Joseon society. The mid-16th century has been identified as the point in time in which the transformation of the lineal system began in earnest. This period coincides with the sajok's obtaining of the exemption from corporal punishment and family communal punishment, as well as their gaining of the right to administer local communities. Meanwhile, the acceleration of the transformation of the lineal system took place during the early and the mid-17th century. Here again, a certain overlap exists, as this period coincided with the sajok's securing of an exemption from military service, and of other general privileges usually reserved for the members of the ruling class, from the state. By this point, there were no longer any obstacles to the actualization within society of the Neo-confucian school of thought that formed the backbone of the political philosophy of the sajok. At this juncture, the sajok perceived their mission and responsibility to history as being that of spreading the Neo-confucian perception of the world within Joseon society, and achieving the great Confucian transformation. In this regard, the fundamental task which had to be carried out in order to achieve a Neo-Confucian based society was that of establishing a patriarchal lineal system that was based on the Jongbeop(宗法, agnatic principle). As such, the fact that the transformation of the lineal system started during the 1620s, was accelerated during the mid-17th century, and was completed during the early 18th century, was no accident.
In this regard, the period which spanned from the 16th century, when the sajok calss started to be formed, to the early 18th century, in which a sajok-oriented ruling structure was established and the Confucian transformation led by sajok calss was completed, must be perceived as a single period. Moreover, the 16th-17th centuries should also be regarded as a single period when viewed from the standpoint of the great Confucian transformation. This period differed in many regards from the previous era known as early Joseon(15th century), in which the sajok class first emerged and the Confucianization process had yet to be begun in earnest, and the late Joseon(after the early 18th century) period in which the Confucianization process was completed and socioeconomic changes and a rigid social structure emerged simultaneously. When viewed from this particular standpoint, this period can indeed be classified as the mid-Joseon era.

참고자료

· 없음