What's left of Korean culture?
By Mark PetersonWith the loss of so-called “Korean age” that I've written about lately, I've started thinking about what else we've lost, and what we still have. Are some of these remaining cultural items on their way out, too? Are they still worth keeping? Or should some of them be next to throw out the window?To answer this question, I think of the set of cultural items tied up in a bundle that Koreans call “bu-gye sahoe” ― “patrilineal society.” Some refer to this bundle as “the patriarchy,” but sociologists look at these issues as part of what's called a patrilineal society. The first item in the bundle is inheritance. In a patrilineal society, inheritance is handed down through the male lines from father to eldest son. In a patrilineal society, males dominate in many other areas.Korea, from the late 17th century onward, developed into a completely perfected patrilineal organization with almost all social action dominated by the males ― for example, marriage was held at the groom's village, with brides coming from other villages and
