State-Society Relations

History, Textbooks, and “Truth” in South Korea

By | October 25, 2013

National histories are far too contentious as it is, without entrusting their construction to the forces of state authority. In South Korea, where ideological and intellectual freedom are highly contingent, the latest episode in a recurrent controversy over school textbooks makes the point.

Never Mind the North: Legacy Politics in the ROK

By | September 17, 2013

Thanks to the classic text “Beyond Charismatic Politics,” legacy politics in North Korea has entered the analytical lexicon in a big way. However, less well understood is the role of legacy in South Korea. Christopher Green investigates.