Controversy in historiography
By Mark Peterson I was privileged to visit Korea recently, for a series of lectures. I’ve been on the city hall lecture circuit, it seems. I’ve given lectures to the city hall officials in Pohang, Busan, and Gyeongju. And I’ve given lectures to the parents meeting at a couple of elementary schools ― the “hakpumo” meeting, what I would call a “PTA” [parent-teacher association] meeting. The lectures were my take on Korean history, titled “New Perspectives on Korean History,” and it was clear that I was presenting a foreigner’s view of Korean history. The basic argument was one that challenges several core assumptions and beliefs about Korean history held by most Koreans. I have decided to “tell it like it is”, you might say. And I have ended up telling quite a different story of Korean history than that which is told in Korea. It is somewhat controversial, but I didn’t start out that way. I haven’t intended to be controversial; I usually avoid controver
