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Special Characters: Korean Alphabets and Chinese Ideograms -- Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Notes on Korean and Chinese Words and Names -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Prolegomena: Alternative Discourses in Social Science as "Culturally Independent" Scholarship -- Why Alternative Discourses? -- The Issue of Alternative Discourses in Social Science -- The Significance of Indigenization -- Alternative Discourses in Korean Sociology -- A Brief Overview -- Nationalism and Studies of Korean Social History -- Marxism and Critical Sociology -- Culture as the Source of Alternative Discourses: An Illustration of Indigenization of Sociological Concepts and Theories -- A Case of "Koreanization" in Social Science -- Reflections -- About This Volume -- Notes -- Chapter 2: The Yin-Yang Dialectic and Principles of Social Change: Culturally Independent Alternative Sociological Ideas -- Introduction -- The Cosmological Views of Ancient Thoughts of East Asia -- The Basic Idea of Immanent Change -- Naturalness and Spontaneity of Change -- The Dialectical-Cyclical Conceptions of Change -- Dialectical Holism -- The Three Powers and the Action Systems -- Three Principles of Dialectical Change -- The Principle of Limit and Return -- The Principle of Moderation or Equilibrium -- The Principle of Flexibility or Adaptability -- The Idea of Ki and Social Change -- Reflections upon Civilizational Dilemmas in the Yin-Yang Framework -- In Closing -- Notes -- Chapter 3: Selective Modernization and Alternative Modernities: In Search of an Alternative Theory -- Introduction: Why Modernization? -- A Theory of Selective Modernization -- Toward Reconceptualization -- The Historical Nature of Modernization -- Modernization as a Process -- International Acculturation

This cutting edge work offers an alternative perspective on existing paradigms of modernization and development that originated in the West from the vantage point of non-western, late-modernizing societies. It considers how East Asian philosophical ideas enrich the reformulation of the concept of development or societal development, and how influential principles of traditional culture such as yin-yang dialectic interact with modern ideas and technology. It addresses the significance of alternative discourses as culturally independent scholarship, and the problems of pervasive mechanisms of social, political, economic, and cultural dependence in the global academic world.

Spanning the 19th and 20th centuries and identifying multiple waves of modernization, this book illustrates how principles originating in Chinese Confucianism have impacted the modernization of East Asia. It analyzes how such principles are exercised at personal, interpersonal and organizational levels and reveals how, as modernization unfolds in East Asia, there is a rising interest in tradition of Confucianism and its relevance to global development. Offering an alternative discourse on modernization and development viewed specifically from the East Asia perspective, this book focuses its analysis on the Korean experience of modernization and development. It considers the broad range of societal transformations which have occurred over the past half century, utilizing the vernacular language of Korea extracted from everyday life to interpret, characterize, globalize and pedagogically broaden the understanding and the human meaning behind these complex social changes.

AbstractIn this paper, I am presenting a view that there is inherently a certain limit to the attempt by the non-Western Third World social scientists to advance alternative discourses in their academic endeavour. This I shall demonstrate by way of a modified modernization theory which stresses the unilaterally 'tilted' process of international acculturation while duly taking into account the effort to indigenize modernization by each late-comer society exposed to the global modernization process. In a way, my version of the modernization theory, in itself is an example of indigenization of social theory; hence offering some alternative discourses to the existing field of development and modernization studies.

Abstract: While abundant works have been produced to examine the role of Confucianism in economic development and the relationship of economic growth with democracy, in the discourses dealing with Confucianism and development are generally missing a systematic look at the intricate interrelationship between Confucianism, economic growth and the democratic transition and/or consolidation. This paper is an attempt to locate this missing link among the three phenomena on a theoretical plane, illustrating the points by the historical experience of East Asia, particularly Korea. Since many have misconstrued the nature of Confucianism in introducing it in the development discourse, it needs to be carefully redefined in the relevant historical context in order to understand its role in the economic and political development of East Asia. Historically, Confucianism has been a negative and at most a passive cultural element in either economic or political modernization. Some aspects of it are still an obstacle, especially to democracy. Confucian ways of thinking and behavior that have long been embodied in the culture and psyche of East Asian societies must have played a role in promoting economic growth and democratic change. Theoretical and historical studies should be able to carefully discern these elements.

With reference to the historical experience of East Asia, particulary Korea, the author examines the intricate relationship between Confucianism, economic growth and democratic transition and/or consolidation. He believes that, historically, Confucianism has been a negative and at most a passive cultural element in either economic or political modernization. (DÜI-Sen)

In a society like South Korea which is undergoing great transformations, entailing rapid industrialization and economic growth, social integration is fast surfacing as a problematique to be squarely tackled both by intellectuals and by practically oriented minds, interested in the need for some degree of order in society. The article explores social integration in this country with special reference to Confucius' philosophy of change and excessive speed of change, excessive concentration of ressources and excessive rigidity of mind and behaviour of the ruling elite. (DÜI-Sen)

The multiple facets through which Confucianism manifested itself and is still being manifested implies that in order to be valid, any type of analysis must identify its principal forms and the mecanisms by which, in the context of modernization, it changed the course of cultural and sociopolitical dynamics in Far-Eastern societies. In addition, one must explain why and how only certain traits of Confucianism were utilized in modernization and evaluate its potential role in the future development of humanity.

This paper examines the general assumption that economic growth and industrialization encourage industrial democracy by providing certain facilitating socio-economic environments. It is shown that such development may or may not be encouraged depending upon the nature of political selectivity with respect to policies of growth and industrial democracy despite the generally favourable socio-economic conditions generated by rapid growth. This is demonstrated by using both macroand micro-data on Korean development over the past few decades. Focus is on the role of political selectivity in either promoting or discouraging the development of industrial democracy, when such changes are perceived as threatening the political stability and survival of the regime.