You are invited to CHL PhD Candidate Minseon Lee's Pre-Submission Seminar:
Time: 2:30pm to 4:00pm AEDT
Date: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Venue: Seminar Room E (3.214), HC Coombs Building & Online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 823 3312 7439
Meeting Password: 246835
Speaker: Minseon Lee, Pacific & Asian History, CHL
This thesis examines the dynamics of early cross-cultural encounters between William John McKenzie (1861–1895)—an ordained Canadian Presbyterian missionary with some medical training—and Chosŏn (1392–1910) Korean villagers in and around the church in the village of Sorae in Changyŏn county, Hwanghae province (now in North Korea) in the years 1894 and 1895, during the socio-political turmoil of the Tonghak Movement and the subsequent Sino-Japanese War. McKenzie’s life in Korea intersects with pivotal changes in the history of Korea and the wider world. The core source for this study is McKenzie’s original diary. His notes on everyday life during this period of unrest provide insight into individual choices taken in daily cross-cultural interaction. This thesis integrates the concepts of “contact zone” of Mary Louise Pratt, microhistory, and everyday life with unheard voices beyond the frameworks of nation building, institutions and the mission enterprise.
Chosŏn Korea concluded treaties with Western nations from 1882, which led to an influx of Western residents bringing with them economic capitalism and Protestant evangelism. Protestant missionaries quickly came to constitute a significant group among Westerners in the late Chosŏn era. These missionaries interacted extensively with local people in everyday life, since they sought to engage with potential converts through various projects. McKenzie had greater engagement with local Koreans than some other missionaries since he worked alone, had no affiliation with a mission board, and came to live in Sorae among local Koreans away from any Western community. The village of Sorae was among the earliest Protestant communities in Chosŏn, the Christian community there having been founded in 1884 by the brothers Sŏ Sangnyun (1848–1926) and Sŏ Kyŏngjo (1852–1938). The efforts of these brothers brought locals into contact with Western missionaries and gave locals exposure to Western cultural and religious practices.
Existing studies have examined relations between Korea and the West in terms of the histories of politics, economics, Protestant missions in Korea, Korean Protestantism and modern Korea. Recent studies have explored cross-cultural dynamics, and have focused on prominent figures active in this milieu and on the early twentieth century. In contrast, this thesis considers the late nineteenth century in terms of the role of everyday personal experiences even during this changing period of turbulence, and re-examines notions of history and memory, including how time and experience in a multi-layered contact zone were understood. Using material from McKenzie’s diary, this study sheds fresh light on Korean village life in the late nineteenth century, on early Korean Protestantism, and on the representation of missionaries, as well as on cross-cultural interactions in the everyday life of ordinary people, and the multiple identities McKenzie had for himself and for Koreans.
Event Speakers
