 | Past Forward: Essays in Korean History A wide-ranging collection of concise essays, Past Forward introduces core features of Korean history that illuminate current issues and pressing concerns, including recent political upheavals, social developments and cultural shifts. Adapted from Kyung Moon Hwang's regular columns in the Korea Times of Seoul, the essays present interpretative points concerning historical debates and controversies to generate thinking about the ongoing impact of the past on the present and vice versa: how Korea's present circumstances reflect and shape the evolving understanding of its past. In taking the reader on a compelling journey through history, Past Forward paints a distinctive, fascinating portrait of Korea and Koreans both yesterday and today. Kyung Moon Hwang is professor of history and East Asian languages and cultures, University of Southern California, USA, where he teaches courses on Korean history, East Asian studies and world history. He is the author of 'A History of Korea--an Episodic Narrative' (2016), 'Rationalizing Korea: The Rise of the Modern State, 1894-1945' (2015) and 'Beyond Birth--Social Status in the Emergence of Modern Korea' (2004), and co-editor of 'Contentious Kwangju--the May Uprising in Korea's Past and Present' (2003). |
