Yulgok's vision of China: Finding a Korean Confucian Way.
Résumé
Yulgok Yi I is admired by many scholars for initiating a Korean reappraisal of Chinese Neo-Confucianism. He was also a high-official involved in various aspects of state administration, including diplomatic exchanges with China. While his thought has been extensively studied as part of the history of philosophy, fewer studies have considered his vision, or mental representation, of China. Exploring this subject, however, could allow us to reconsider his thought from the broader angle of the “intellectual history”, as his understanding of China is central to both his philosophy and his politics.
What did Yulgok actually think about the Ancient, “textual” or “philosophical” China he had been studying all his life, and about the real, contemporary China? Many contradictions and ambiguities on this topic appear through the various texts in his Collected Works. China, seen by Yulgok, is both ahistorical and historical. His image of China can be reduced to neither that of the idealized source of Confucian civilization nor to that of an often difficult neighbour and rival.
The study of Yulgok’s protean vision of China will be examined from different viewpoints, for this theme is connected to a wide range of discourses and practices. The poems, minor texts, philosophical texts, treatises, memoirs, official and personal correspondence will be studied, from diachronic and synchronic perspectives, with the hope of revealing the mental mechanisms through which Yulgok uses “China” to define and find a Korean Confucian Way for his time.
Domaines
Histoire
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)