Social Darwinism and Nationalism in Korea: the Beginnings (1880s-1910s)

The book deals with the influences Social Darwinism exerted upon Korea's modern ideologies in their formative period - especially nationalism - after its introduction to Korea in 1883 and before Korea's annexation by Japan in 1910. It shows that the belief in the "e;survival of the fittest"e; as the overarching cosmic and social principle constituted the main underpinning for the modernity discourses in Korea in the 1890s-1900s. Unlike the dominant ideology of traditional Korea, Neo-Confucianism, which was largely promoted by the scholar-official elite, Social Darwinism appealed to the modern intellectuals, but also to the entrepreneurs, providing the justification for their profit-seeking activities as part of the "e;national survival"e; project. As an ideology of Korea's nascent capitalism, Social Darwinism in Korea could, however, hardly be called a liberal creed: it clearly prioritized "e;national survival"e; over individual rights and interests.