Korean Studies Guide

The Korean Studies Guide serves as a comprehensive handbook for exploring the diverse aspects of Korean culture, history, and society. Developed in 1951 under the auspices of the University of California’s Institute of East Asiatic Studies, this guide reflects a renewed Western interest in Korea prompted by postwar geopolitical realities and the Korean War. With financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and access to unparalleled resources like the Asami collection of Korean literature, the guide offers a structured, annotated bibliography that spans historical, cultural, and academic disciplines. It prioritizes historical materials while weaving in resources on government, economics, art, archaeology, and language, presenting an invaluable starting point for those pursuing in-depth Korean studies.

What sets this guide apart is its deliberate effort to navigate Korea's complex linguistic and cultural intersections with neighboring China and Japan. By employing standardized romanization systems and including annotations accessible even to those unfamiliar with the source language, it mitigates language barriers and highlights Korea’s unique cultural identity within the broader East Asian context. The guide emphasizes Korea’s dual significance—both as a vital lens for understanding Far Eastern civilization and as a distinct entity with over two millennia of cultural continuity. Through its detailed bibliographies and inclusive approach, the Korean Studies Guide invites scholars to engage with Korea’s rich intellectual and historical legacy, underscoring the opportunities for further exploration in this dynamic field.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1954.