냉전시대 미국의 민족국가 형성 개입과 헤게모니 구축의 최전선 : 주한미공보원 영화

Abstract

This study seeks to identify the methods employed by the United States from a cultural standpoint to intervene in the formation of anation-state during the Cold War Era by analyzing the films produced by the United States Information Service (USIS) in Korea. Previous studies on the correlation between nation and filmduring the Cold War era have been concentrated on the role of cinema as a tool with which to form the nation out of an imagined community. The present study however focuses on cinema as an implement with which tothe hegemonic power could form a nation-state that was in keeping with the hegemonic order. A look at the Korea-related films produced by the United States Information Service (USIS) shows that in the 1960s, a period in which Korea pursued modernization in a full scale manner, the United States adopted a policy designed to heighten ‘nationalism.’ As part of efforts to heighten the ‘national pride’ of Korea, the United States Information Service (USIS) produced films that highlighted Korea’s standing as a sovereign state within the international community. It also attempted to encourage Korean’s sense of pride in their independence and development through films that dealt with economic development. Here, special attention should be paid to the fact that Korea was encouragedby the United States, which had conveyed culture to Japan through historical films that dealt with cultural exchanges,to develop a perception of the Korean nation which involved the creation of a new culture. In short, the films produced by the United States Information Service (USIS) in Korea during the Cold War era show thatUnited States intervention in the formation of the cultural identity of Korea, a process that wasdeeply related to the formation of the nation, was not limited to the mere conveying of the image of an American-style nation state. The nationalism which the United States intended to promote in Korea during the Cold War era was closely intertwined with the establishment of American hegemony in Korea. As such, the image of the nation-state established by the United States was one of a state that, while enjoying ‘autonomy,’ belonged to the United States-ledCold War hegemonic order.