Past Event

Modern Times in North Korea: Scenes from its Founding Years, 1945-1950

Washington History Seminar
Historical Perspectives on International and National Affairs

Modern Times in North Korea: Scenes from its Founding Years, 1945-1950

Suzy Kim
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

North Korea is often portrayed in mainstream media as a backward place, a Stalinist relic without a history worth knowing. But during its founding years (1945-1950), North Korea experienced a radical social revolution when everyday life became the primary site of political struggle, including quite deliberately a feminist agenda. With historical comparisons to revolutions in the early 20th century, Suzy Kim introduces her recent book through rarely seen archival photos, situating the North Korean revolution within the broader history of modernity. 

Suzy Kim is Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian Languages & Cultures at Rutgers University. She received her Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago. Her book Everyday Life in the North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950 was published by Cornell University Press in 2013. Her teaching and research interests focus on modern Korean history with particular attention to social and cultural history, gender studies, oral history, and social theory.

Monday December 15, 2014
4:00 p.m. 
Woodrow Wilson Center, 6th Floor Moynihan Board Room
Ronald Reagan Building, Federal Triangle Metro Stop

Speaker

Hosted By

History and Public Policy Program

A global leader in making key archival records accessible and fostering informed analysis, discussion, and debate on foreign policy, past and present.   Read more

History and Public Policy Program

North Korea International Documentation Project

The North Korea International Documentation Project serves as an informational clearinghouse on North Korea for the scholarly and policymaking communities, disseminating documents on the DPRK from its former communist allies that provide valuable insight into the actions and nature of the North Korean state.   Read more

North Korea International Documentation Project