The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Choson Korea

238 Pages·2015·5.237 MB·English

by  Jisoo M. Kim

Korean Studies of the Henry M. Jackson
School of International Studies
Clark W. Sorensen, Editor
Korean Studies of the Henry M. Jackson
School of International Studies
Over the Mountains Are Mountains: Marginality and Subversion in Korea:
Korean Peasant Households and Their The Hong Kyŏngnae Rebellion of 1812,
Adaptations to Rapid Industrialization, by Sun Joo Kim
by Clark W. Sorensen
Building Ships, Building a Nation:
Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea, Korea’s Democratic Unionism under
1920–1925, by Michael Edson Robinson, Park Chung Hee, by Hwasook Nam
with a new preface by the author
Japanese Assimilation Policies in Colo-
Offspring of Empire: The Koch’ang nial Korea, 1910–1945, by Mark E. Caprio
Kims and the Colonial Origins of
Korean Capitalism, 1876–1945, Fighting for the Enemy: Koreans
by Carter J. Eckert, with a new in Japan’s War, 1937–1945,
preface by the author by Brandon Palmer
Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institu- Heritage Management in Korea and
tions: Yu Hyŏngwŏn and the Late Chosŏn Japan: The Politics of Antiquity and
Dynasty, by James B. Palais Identity, by Hyung Il Pai
Peasant Protest and Social Change Wrongful Deaths: Selected Inquest
in Colonial Korea, by Gi-Wook Shin Records from Nineteenth-Century Korea,
compiled and translated by Sun Joo Kim
The Origins of the Chosŏn Dynasty, and Jungwon Kim
by John B. Duncan
The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status,
Protestantism and Politics in Korea, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea,
by Chung-shin Park by Jisoo M. Kim
The
Emotions
of
Justice
Gender,
Status,
and
Legal
Performance
in
Chosŏn
Korea
Jisoo M. Kim
University of Washington Press
Seattle and London
This publication was supported in part by the Korea Studies Program of the
Jackson School of International Studies through the Core University Program
for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea
and the Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies
(AKS-2011-BAA-2101).
이 저서는 2011 년 대한민국 교육부와 한국학중앙연구원(한국학진흥사업
단)을 통해 해외한국학중핵대학육성사업의 지원을 받아 수행된연구임
(AKS-2011-BAA-2101)
© 2015 by the University of Washington Press
Printed and bound in the United States of America
Design by Thomas Eykemans
Composed in Minion, typeface designed by Robert Slimbach
19 18 17 16 15 5 4 3 2 1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, record-
ing, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publisher.
University of Washington Press
www.washington.edu/uwpress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress
ISBN 978-0-295-99503-8
The paper used in this publication is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1984.∞
In Memory of JaHyun Kim Haboush
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Author’s Note xiii
Kings of the Chosŏn Dynasty xv
Introduction 3
One The Confucian State, Law, and Emotions 22
Two Gender, Writing, and Legal Performance 42
Three Women’s Grievances and Their Gendered Narrative of Wŏn 74
Four Seeking Vindication or Begging Pardon on Behalf of the Living 103
Five In Search of Justice on Behalf of the Dead 121
Conclusion 149
Notes 155
Glossary 181
Bibliography 187
Index 209
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
Since I began my academic and intellectual journey at Columbia University,
I have received incredible support and encouragement. To begin, my greatest
scholarly debt is to the late JaHyun Kim Haboush who introduced me to the
world of female petitioners during Chosŏn Korea. She has been my source of
inspiration for studying Korean history, and from her I learned how inter-
esting premodern Korean history could be. Through her writings, she will
continue to inspire students studying Korean history. I am also indebted to
Dorothy Ko for my understanding of Chinese women’s and gender history
and Madeleine Zelin for my knowledge of Chinese legal history. Their teach-
ing and valuable guidance led me to place my work within the broader East
Asian context. My thanks also to Charles Armstrong, Ted Hughes, and Euge-
nia Lean for providing critical advice and insightful comments.
I am grateful to all colleagues and friends who have provided valuable
feedback and support at various venues during my research and writing pro-
cess. Although it is impossible to mention everyone, I would like to recog-
nize in particular Boudewijn Walraven, Donald Baker, John Duncan, Sun Joo
Kim, Eugene Park, Anders Karlsson, Michael Pettid, Marion Eggert, Martina
Deuchler, Hyaeweol Choi, Se-Mi Oh, George Kallander, and Jungwon Kim.
I would also like to thank Tamara Loos, Janet Theiss, Anne Walthall, and
Susan Burns, whose invaluable comments as discussants on my presentations
at conferences have sharpened and refined my argument.
My special thanks also go to Kim Young-shik, Pak Tae-gyun, and Sem
Vermeersch for their warm hospitality while I was at Seoul National Universi-
ty’s Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies. I would like to echo my gratitude
to Paik Young-suh, Michael Kim, and Choe Key-sook for generously helping
me with my needs while I was at Kukhak Institute of Yonsei University. I have
learned and benefitted from many discussions I had with colleagues in Korea.
ix