Shidō Munan (至道無難, 1602-1676) was an early Tokugawa Zen master mostly active in Edo. He was the teacher of Shōju Rōjin, who is in turn considered the main teacher of Hakuin Ekaku. He is best known for the phrase that one must“die while alive,”made famous by D.T. Suzuki. Other than this, his work has not been much analyzed, nor his thought placed into the context of the early Tokugawa period he inhabited. It is the aim of this work to analyze some of the major themes in his writings, the Jishōki (自性記), Sokushinki (即心記), Ryūtakuji ShozōHōgo (龍沢寺所蔵法語), and the Dōka (道歌). Special attention is paid to his views on Neo-Confucianism, Pure Land thought, and Shinto- traditions which can be shown through their prevalence in his writings to have placed Zen on the defensive during this time period. His teachings on death are also expanded on and analyzed, as well as some of the other common themes in his writing, such as his teachings on kōan practice and advice for monastics. In looking at these themes, it is possible to both compare and contrast him from some of his better-known contemporaries, such as Bankei and Suzuki Shōsan. Additionally, selected passages from his writings are offered in translation.

This thesis examines the interplay between gender, family, and the Taiwanese public-sector labour market at national, local, and individual levels. It focuses on gendered occupational segregation, worker mobility in terms of job transfers and promotion, everyday work–life arrangements, and the influence of locality on workplace dynamics and individuals’ career moves. The public sector, especially that in East Asian countries, has long been regarded as a more women-friendly employer that promotes gender equality in the public sphere. Nonetheless, relevant research lacks a systematic investigation into the interplay of gender, social norms, and structured opportunities and constraints in this labour market. Therefore, I conducted this research by analysing governmental statistics and carrying out interviews. My research shows that gender segregation exists in the Taiwanese public sector and women are still underrepresented at senior levels, although the Taiwanese government has launched many measures to achieve gender equality in the public-sector labour market. It further scrutinises how the career trajectories of male and female civil servants differ because of gendered task assignment at work and gendered expectation after marriage, which restrain women’s mobility in spatial and career terms. Through the comparison of the experience of the civil servants working in three regions, I point out that locality influences the formation and function of social networks, work culture, and familial power relations. I also explain how local networking, work culture, and family relationships correlate with one another and thus implicitly influence the career development of male and female civil servants in the researched regions. In addition, my discussion looks at how extended family members influence household gender dynamics, which is seldom discussed in existing literature. There are three main findings in my research. First, prevalent gender norms in the wider societal context play an important role in the gendering process of civil servants’ career trajectories. Gendered investment in human capital contributes to gendered occupational choices and the tendency of men to start their civil service career at higher entry levels. Second, gender segregation exists in the assignment allocation, which is the result of prevalent gender stereotyping at work and in return reinforces the existing gender stereotypes. Third, the career plans of married civil servants, especially those with children, are highly determined by the interplay of gender dynamics at home and at work. Mothers tend to have the most limited career choices. Different family structures and local work cultures constitute diverse local settings for these mothers. In general, women who live close to or with their husbands’ extended families tend to prioritise their family commitments, although their extended family members provide them with resources and support, such as childcare. My research theorises back from the East Asian context to the literature on gender and families by unveiling multiple forms of patriarchy in different family structures, whereas previous Western-focused research has often focused on nuclear families. My research also suggests that the interlocking relationship between home and workplace gender relations and the influence of locality on these relations should be carefully considered during policy making and implementation.

The urban growth process produces a complex socio-geographic division of labor among the component parts of the urban community. During this process, each subarea of the community differentiates from the other parts in its physical and demographic characteristics, becomes specialized functionally and structurally. The spatial patterning of the urban community is the result of this differentiation process.

Many consider Oldboy be the defining film of the most recent wave of South Korean cinema, with scholars such as Terrence McSweeney and Kim Kyun Hyun arguing the film's representation of South Korean culture through collective memory, trauma, and Westernization. However, most of the current scholarship that surrounds the film does not adequately address the film's prominent theme of incest. My thesis explores the anxious implications of the film's incestuous imagery and reads it as a figure for the film's transnational presence. Specifically, in my project, incest is the nucleus on which I build each argument outward. First through abjection and desire for self and other, onto telesthesia and desire for private and public, then finally, transnationalism and the desire for national and global. These desires we typically take as binaries, but in fact, we experience an anxiety of being simultaneously on both sides of the binary. I argue that attentiveness Oldboy`s representation of the incest taboo brings necessary nuances to the current scholarship that surrounds it: Contemporary South Korean culture cannot be a primary focus, as South Korea has always been entangled within an "other", be it through Colonization, Westernization, or more recently telecommunications. In conclusion, by closely examining the incest taboo in Oldboy, this project sheds light on the simultaneity within the desires of self and other, private and public, and finally, national and global.

Export Processing Zones (EPZs) are about thirty years old now (ILO and UNCTC. 1988). Their effects and influence on third world economic development and on international industrial restructuring have been criticised by different literatures. I wish to combine my practical experience of working in Shenzen Special Economic Zone for four years, with research to compare four EPZs’ development in four East Asian countries and area: Massan Zone in Korea, Kaohsiung Zone in Thailand, Shenzen Zone in China and Lat Krabang Zone in Thailand. This intended to explore the effect of EPZs on the economic development of those countries, and to provide a series of comparative data (especially on the zone of China about which there is little information).

Export Processing Zones (EPZs) are about thirty years old now (ILO and UNCTC. 1988). Their effects and influence on third world economic development and on international industrial restructuring have been criticised by different literatures. I wish to combine my practical experience of working in Shenzen Special Economic Zone for four years, with research to compare four EPZs’ development in four East Asian countries and area: Massan Zone in Korea, Kaohsiung Zone in Thailand, Shenzen Zone in China and Lat Krabang Zone in Thailand. This intended to explore the effect of EPZs on the economic development of those countries, and to provide a series of comparative data (especially on the zone of China about which there is little information).

This paper aims to explore the current status of Internet Resources on Chinese studies among East Asian Libraries in the US. The author examined Internet Resources on Chinese Studies at the websites of 35 libraries by collecting data on the number of unique links, the kinds of websites included, the arrangement and classification of resources, the content and commonalities of the most frequently cited websites. Lists of link popularity are also complied to illustrate the current status of Internet Resources on Chinese Studies. Finally, a number of recommendations are proposed for further research.

This thesis examines the planning and organization of the Munich 1972 and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games with a specific focus on how the South Korean and West German governments attempted to use the Games to positively change their images abroad. Both countries attempted to distance themselves not only from their own war torn pasts, but also from their Communist counterparts, East Germany and North Korea. The West German government (and the Munich Olympic Committee) hoped to create a “peaceful” and “carefree atmosphere” that would directly counter images of Nazism, and the South Korean government (and the Seoul Olympic Committee) sought to use the Olympics to legitimize a military dictatorship and prove the country’s economic growth following the Korean War. By giving the Games so much importance, however, both governments transformed the Olympics into a flashpoint for international and domestic conflicts, and unforeseen events, such as the Black September terrorist attack, the South Korean democracy movement, and North Korea’s demands to co-host the Games, changed and defined the public images of both the Games and their host countries.

South Korea underwent a period of high economic growth which propelled it from low to high income status in just a few decades. Instrumental in this process of rapid industrial transformation was the economic bureaucracy which formulated and implemented policies. This thesis details the role played by bureaucratic organizations in South Korea’s development and how they were able to formulate successful economic policies. In analyzing the economic bureaucracy in South Korea, a framework is used to determine its level of autonomy from special interests as well as the degree of public-private cooperation. The study finds that the high levels of corporate coherence and autonomy from special interests within the economic bureaucracy can partially be ascribed to the meticulously meritocratic recruitment and promotion process which was established prior to the first years of high economic growth. At a higher level of abstraction, the study concludes that South Korea benefited from having a strong imperative to develop its economy due to numerous external and domestic conditions. Although the level of applicability in other contexts is found to be limited, the emergence of a competent and relatively incorrupt bureaucracy remains one aspect which could possibly be reproduced elsewhere.

The trend of globalization in 20th century and Asian financial crisis shocked or, from some scholars¡¦ viewpoint, even ended the East Asian model of economic development, which challenged the role of state. However, according to the concept of ¡¥monopoly rent¡¦ by David Harvey, culture is based on countries, history, nations, and identities. These elements are all related to state closely. Therefore, in the era of globalization, the role of state will not disappear, but be transformed. The thesis will emphasize the role of Korean government in developing cultural industries and will discuss the national policies since 1998 after Korea recovered from its imminent bankruptcy. Korea was nearly bankrupted in the Asian financial crisis in 1997. In 1998, Korean government adopted cultural industry as a national strategic industry. It introduced a bundle of plans, policies, laws, subsidies, and established related official departments to benefit enterprises and people and promote other industries. The strategies re-established national economy successfully; moreover, the ¡§Korean Wave¡¨ was formed and became a trend in Asia. Furthermore, the thesis starts from reviewing Korean history, including Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism from China, colonial culture from Japan, and Western culture from American armies. From the context of penetrating foreign culture influence, the thesis points out the components of Korean cultures, and uncovers Koreans¡¦ national and cultural identities, formation of nationalism, and global strategies of cultural industries.