1910~1920년대 전반기 안확의 ‘개조론’과 조선 문화 연구

Abstract

An Hwak(1886~1946) served a pioneering role in the area of historical and methodical studies of Korean culture, by authoring ‘Joseon’s art’ and ‘Joseon’s literature’ in the latter half of the 1910s. And in the wake of all the discussions regarding the ‘Reconstruction’ of the early 1920s, he announced 『Argument of Reconstruction』, and participated in social movements as a staff member of the Joseon Youth Association. Later he concentrated upon authoring 『History of Joseon Literature』, 『History of the Joseon Civilization』, all studies related to the Joseon culture. An Hwak’s position in 『Argument of Reconstruction』, is between his own Joseon studies he announced through 『Hakji-Gwang』 in the mid-1910s, and his studies of the Joseon culture he announced in 1922 and 1923. An Hwak’s studies in those two periods maintained consistency, in terms of maintaining the cause of securing understanding of both the Western things and Joseon things, and also in terms of being a response to the foreigners’ and especially the Japanese scholars’ study of the Joseon culture. Yet crossing the ‘Reconstruction’ period, An Hwak’s Joseon studies began to put more emphasis upon the cultural activities of the ‘ordinary people’, and he started to add the value of ‘righteousness and humanity’ to the existing theme of ‘national quality of the Joseon people’, as well. His studies of the Joseon culture also proceeded from a civilization-comparative point of view. He argued the uniqueness and superiority of the Joseon culture, and his methodology that led him to that conclusion was similar to those of other contemporary cultural historians. Yet the object of comparison in his case was not the Eastern world, but instead the Greek culture and also the Western modern civilization. With this ‘universal’ moral values, and his own emphasis upon ‘righteousness and humanity’, he was able to set himself apart from other nationalist historians and their overly strong sentiment of nationalism.