On Friday, March 22, from 12:30pm to 2:00pm ET, CKS Director Yong-Chool Ha will give a book talk at George Washington University’s Institute for Korea Studies discussing his latest publication, Late Industrialization, Tradition, and Social Change in South Korea. Those note located in the D.C. area are invited to join the talk online. Please click here to register.
In Dr. Yong-Chool Ha’s latest book, he examines a paradox in Korea’s economic development: an ultra-modern industrial economy has been achieved, yet traditional networks of obligation and solidarity, such as blood, school, and regional ties have persisted, and even become more deeply reinforced, profoundly affecting the fundamental aspects of Korean politics and socio-economic relations. Ha contends that this paradox is not accidental, and that the course of Korea’s late economic development shaped and entrenched these “primordial” ties into Korea’s politics, society, and economy. Thus, the persistence and predominance of these ties, what he calls “neofamilism,” requires an explanation as to when, why, and how it arose. “Late Industrialization, Tradition, and Social Change in South Korea” is about the social consequences of late industrialization. While much has been written about the economic success stories of late industrialization, the analysis of changes in social relations engendered by late industrialization has been strikingly absent. The GW Institute for Korean Studies and East Asia National Resource Center invite you to join us for this special book talk lecture from Yong-Chool Ha as he narrows the gap between political economy and sociology in the study of late industrialization.