In this dissertation, I venture to explicate the social and political significance of the Korean nationalist theatre performance. The Korean nationalist theatre utilizes elements of indigenous cultures and searches for the Korean ethnic archetype as the ideal Korean type or genuine Koreanness for the reconstruction of the Korean ethnic community. In this context, this dissertation thematically approaches rethinking the issue of rhetorical representation.
As a methodological tool, I adopt feminist deconstruction to unfold the epistemological contradictions of the essentialist idea embedded in the notion of the Korean archetype, problematizing the ethnocentric and phallocentric nature of the representation. This dissertation interrogates the major task of the Korean nationalist theatre, which ideologically promulgates the idea of ethnocentric patriarchy supported by the traditional notion of community, inquiring if this type of theatre can provide useful and practical prospects for imagining a more democratic and plural civilian society in Korea today, when the interaction of globalization, nationalism, regionalism, and localism simultaneously impact our everyday life and cultural identification.
In this dissertation, I explore genealogical trajectories of the Korean nationalist theatre contesting with other theatrical performances for nation building, cultural identification, and national unity. Paying close attention to changing social and political situations and conditions, I trace the routes, not roots, of the Korean nationalist theatre, and observe how its theorists and the practitioners were able or unable to come to terms with shifting situations and conditions. I have selected works mainly from the 1970s to the 1990s since the works provide grounding images, symbols, metaphors, and allegories pertinent to discussing how the Korean ethnic community has been narrativized through the performances of the Korean nationalist theatre during the turbulent epoch.
Reflecting on the limits, accomplishments, and insights of the preceding researchers, I hope that this dissertation presents the Korean nationalist theatre with fully contoured critical views and ideas. This dissertation takes a small step towards a genealogy of the Korean nationalist theatre, and hopes to opens up a space for a dialogue among troubled artists and activists confronting globalization as a shared issue.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-12032008-072230 |
| Date | 28 January 2009 |
| Creators | Lee, Gang-Im |
| Contributors | Attilio Favorini, Kathleen George, Thomas Rimer, Bruce McConachie |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-12032008-072230/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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