Donald Baker, professor at the University of British Columbia, received the Tasan (also spelled Dasan) Award from the Tasan Cultural Foundation in Seoul Friday.

This was the first time a non-Korean won the honor, but what`s more remarkable is his subject of research: Dasan Chong Yag-yong.

Dasan, one of Joseon`s most renowned scholars, produced numerous books on a wide range of areas in the 18th century. Baker has spent about 30 years exploring Dasan`s insights.

"I came to Korea in 1971 as a member of the Peace Corps and when I came back to the University of Washington, I studied Korean history, especially the 18th century when King Jeongjo ruled, and I had to read Dasan," Baker said.

Baker, fluent in Classical Chinese, read the vast amount of texts produced by Dasan in the original Chinese characters - a hard feat even for a Korean historian. Although Korean scholars during the Joseon Dynasty spoke Korean, the elite wrote books in the lingua franca of the times, Chinese, and the majority of Korea`s classical texts are only available in Chinese. But the number of Korean scholars who can interpret Dasan`s writings is rapidly dwindling due to the Korean-only teachings in higher education.

Baker was born in United States and immigrated to Canada in 1987 to assume the Canada-Korea Business Council Chair in Korean Language and Civilization in the Department of Asian Studies at UBC.

In July, 2001, Baker became the director of the Centre for Korean Research in the Institute for Asian Research at UBC. In that capacity, he assisted visiting scholars from Korea who came to UBC to engage in research on Korea. He also helped organize a Korean Studies seminar series in which UBC professors, as well as visiting scholars, shared their research findings with the general public.

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Baker, who finished his term as the director for the Korean center, said Dasan Chong Yag-yong is the key figure in unlocking the mysteriously robust growth of the Joseon Dynasty in the 18th century.

"Dasan wrote about medicine, philosophy, local administration and I found him very useful for understanding the second half of Joseon Dynasty," Baker said.

One of the notable characteristics of the famous scholar is his expertise in defining terms and concepts in a succinct style, Baker said. Unlike other scholars who often resorted to arcane terminologies and murky definitions, Dasan almost always came up with simple and clear definitions about philosophical concepts, he said.

Baker said that despite the enormous importance of Dasan, only a small number of Korean studies scholars are devoting their time and energy to studying the representative scholar of the Joseon period.

Another problem with the Korean studies field is the lack of interest - or capacity - of scholars regarding pre-modern history and literature. The reason is that not that many Korean studies scholars are willing to study Chinese, an essential requirement for understanding the classical texts.

In the domestic academic circles, a growing number of scholars have jumped into the investigation of the 18th century, a period known for creative energy and reform-minded thinkers.

But there is one mystery: Even though Joseon was at the forefront of a bureaucratic system and culture in East Asia, the country did not pull off a much-needed modernization based on commerce and technology in the 19th century. The result was the ultimate demise of the dynasty and the painful colonization by Japan in the early 20th century.

Baker said the "lost energy" of Joseon`s 18th century had to do with the structure of the society. Back then, Korea reached a peak in terms of population that could support the country`s agricultural economy, leaving little surplus to invest in the budding commerce. Worse, Joseon also struggled with a series of epidemic diseases from the 1820s, cutting its population drastically - a sorry development that sapped its social energy and put pressure on the economy.

Another aspect to consider, Baker said, is the disdain of business that was pervasive among Joseon`s elite class. For instance, a son of a merchant in China was allowed to take a state exam and climb the social ladder legitimately. In Korea, a strict social restriction was placed on the merchant class, stifling the channels for upgrading their social status.

"Even Dasan didn`t promote the modern concept of commerce, and it was other reformers like Park Je-ga who espoused commerce," Baker said.

Baker, however, stressed that Joseon Korea had the most productive agricultural industry in the world in the 18th century, and Korea`s history shows that its political system has produced institutional stability.

Meanwhile, Korean studies scholars still have a long way to go to catch up with the Chinese and Japanese rivals. The situation is slowly improving for Korean studies researchers in terms of job opportunities and future prospects, but much more is needed to bolster the Korean studies and train qualified researchers well-versed in Korean and related languages, Baker said.

By Yang Sung-jin



(insight@heraldm.com)