EAST 213 - Nationalist historiography (Week 1B)

Meaning

• Nationalist historiography means writing history in a way that strengthens national pride and unity. It focuses on telling a story that makes the nation look ancient, unique, and continuous.

Promotes

• Nationalist historiography promotes the belief in a nation’s special historical destiny and emphasizes beautiful, ancient traditions

• It tries to reconstruct an unbroken national lineage from the distant past to the present

• In some cases, it even creates semi-fictional or invented traditions to build group unity

Tan’gun

• Korea, nationalist historians tried to prove that Korea has existed as one pure, homogenous race since prehistoric times. They emphasized the myth of Tan’gun as the founding ancestor of the Korean people

• They also highlighted Paektu Mountain as the spiritual homeland of all Koreans

• These ideas helped create a strong sense of shared identity.

Advanced Civilization

• According to the slides, scholars used archaeology, anthropology, and art history as “scientific evidence” to prove racial origins and historical continuity

• This means that physical artifacts, tombs, temples, and ancient ruins were used to show that Korea had an advanced civilization from very early times.

After liberation

• After liberation and the Korean War, nationalist historiography emphasized the idea of a “pure Korean spirit” that resisted foreign invasions, such as Chinese dynasties, Mongols, and Japanese forces

• This narrative presented Koreans as strong, unified, and constantly defending themselves from outsiders.

Hyung II Pai Argument

• Hyung Il Pai argues that the government had strong control over how history and archaeology were used to shape national identity

• During authoritarian governments like Park Chung-hee’s, certain historical sites and heroes were carefully selected because they represented loyalty, resistance, and national strength

• Archaeology was sometimes rushed or politically motivated in order to support national pride

• Pai criticizes the idea of a completely pure and independent Korean racial identity.

• She argues that history was often simplified to create unity, especially during colonial rule and authoritarian governments