Forces of Nature: New Perspectives on Korean Environments

The Korean environmental humanities is a field that explores the relationship between nature and society in the Korean peninsula. Forces of Nature, a volume by the Korean Environmental Humanities Institute, highlights the role of non-human agents in shaping Korea's social and physical landscapes, such as flora, fauna, mineral deposits, and climatic conditions. It demonstrates how natural processes have influenced human affairs and how the state has mobilized different forces to control, extract, modernize, and showcase the Korean landscape. The book suggests that Korea's physical landscape is not a passive context to its history but an active agent in its transformation and reinvention across centuries.

Format: Hardback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2023
Publisher: Cornell University Press

The Korean peninsula is a unique and complex region, where the intertwining of nature and society has shaped its history and culture in profound ways. In response to this, Forces of Nature, a groundbreaking multidisciplinary volume, seeks to define and develop the field of Korean environmental humanities. At its core, the volume aims to bring non-human agents, such as flora, fauna, mineral deposits, and climatic conditions, to the forefront of Korean studies, placing them at the center of attention. By doing so, the authors forge new pathways through Korea's social and physical landscapes, offering a deeper understanding of the environmental conflicts that have shaped life on the peninsula.

The authors demonstrate how natural processes have continuously shaped the course of events in Korea, from floods, droughts, famines, fires, and pests to their impact on human affairs. They explore how different forces, including the state, have mobilized to control, extract, modernize, and showcase the Korean landscape. Forces of Nature suggests that Korea's physical landscape is not merely a passive context to its history but an active agent in its transformation and reinvention across centuries.

This volume is a testament to the growing recognition of the importance of environmental humanities in understanding the complex relationships between nature and society. With support from the Henry Luce Foundation, the goal of the series is to produce all titles in this series both in Open Access, to ensure global accessibility and equity, and in print editions, to cater to the needs of scholars and readers alike.

By exploring the forces that have shaped the Korean peninsula's natural and social landscapes, Forces of Nature contributes to a broader understanding of the region's rich cultural heritage and its place in the global landscape. It is a valuable resource for researchers, students, and anyone interested in the intersection of nature, society, and history.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501768781