| Democracy and Authority in Korea: The Cultural Dimension in Korean Politics Contributor(s): Helgesen, Geir (Author) |
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ISBN: 0700706135 ISBN-13: 9780700706136 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $171.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: November 1997 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | History & Theory - General - Political Science | Political Ideologies - Democracy - History | Asia - Korea |
| Dewey: 306.209 |
| Series: Democracy in Asia |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.43 lbs) 336 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Asian - Chronological Period - 20th Century - Cultural Region - East Asian - Ethnic Orientation - Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This controversial new study, breaks with the tradition of basing political studies on analyses of institutions and political personalities, by likening the Republic of Korea to a laboratory for the clash of political cultures. In the late 1940s, the Americans embarked upon a democratization programme designed to create a Western bulwark against the spread of communism in East Asia. The intervening years have seen the advent and demise of military rule, with South Korea now having a democratically-elected government. Although the US strategy thus seems successful, the political crises of 1995 in fact indicate that many obstacles remain here to the adoption of Western-style democracy. This study argues that socialization in general and political socialization in particular are key factors in any analysis of democracy, be it in Korea or elsewhere. Accordingly, the work draws on moral education textbooks, together with surveys and interviews among members of the urban intellectual elite. In this manner, the psychological roots of power and authority - key concepts to an understanding of 'good government' - are explored. |
