Peace in the East

An Chunggun's Vision for Asia in the Age of Japanese Imperialism

Contributions by Frederick R. Dickinson, Kirk W. Larsen, Makino Eiji, Eugene Y. Park, Franklin D. Rausch, Sasagawa Norikatsu, Suh Young-Hee, Totsuka Etsuro, Wang Yuanzhou, Xu Yong, Yamamuro Shin'ichi, Yi Tae-Jin Edited by Yi Tae-Jin, Eugene Y. Park, Kirk W. Larsen

Publication date:

10 October 2017

Length of book:

284 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

238x157mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781498566407

On October 26, 1909, the Korean patriot An Chunggŭn assassinated the Japanese statesman Itō Hirobumi in Harbin, China. More than a century later, the ramifications of An’s daring act continue to reverberate across East Asia and beyond. This volume explores the abiding significance of An, his life, and his written work, most notably On Peace in the East (Tongyang p’yŏnghwaron), from a variety of perspectives, especially historical, legal, literary, philosophical, and political. The ways in which An has been understood and interpreted by contemporaries, by later generations, and by scholars and thinkers even today shed light on a range of significant issues including the intellectual and philosophical underpinnings for both imperial expansion and resistance to it; the ongoing debate concerning whether violence, or even terrorism, is ever justified; and the possibilities for international cooperation in today’s East Asia as a regional collective. Students and scholars of East Asia will find much to engage with and learn from in this volume.

Preface, Yi Tae-Jin, Eugene Y. Park, and Kirk W. Larsen
Introduction, Yi Tae-Jin, Eugene Y. Park, and Kirk W. Larsen
Maps
Chapter 1: Japanese Expansion in East Asia and An Chunggŭn’s Peace in the East, Xu Yong
Chapter 2: An Chunggŭn and the Genealogy of Modern Korea’s Discourse on Peace in the East, Suh Young-Hee
Chapter 3: Visions of Violence, Dreams of Peace: Religion, Race, and Nation in An Chunggŭn’s On Peace in the East, Franklin D. Rausch
Chapter 4: The An Chunggŭn Trial and Peace in the East: The Effect of the 1905 “Japan–Korea Protectorate Treaty” on International Relations, Totsuka Etsuro
Chapter 5: An Chunggŭn and the Political Philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Sasagawa Norikatsu
Chapter 6: Three Images of An Chunggŭn in Chinese Narratives, Wang Yuanzhou
Chapter 7: An Chunggŭn and Liang Qichao: Two Lights of Modern East Asia, Yi Tae-Jin
Chapter 8: The Philosophy and Possibilities of An Chunggŭn’s Unfinished On Peace in the East, Yamamuro Shin’ichi
Chapter 9: Contemporary Meanings of An Chunggŭn’s Peace in the East: A Pioneer of the New Concept of East Asian Community, Makino Eiji
Afterword, Frederick R. Dickinson

A wide-ranging and multidimensional look at one of modern East Asia’s most divisive historical figures—national hero to some, terrorist assassin to others—this richly researched and fascinating collection of essays on An Chunggŭn offers surprising new perspectives not only on the man himself but also on the history of the region in the early twentieth century.