Japanese Occupation

[Matthew Hurwitz]

I found Professor Jung-Kim's presentation fascinating, and was especially interested in the period of Japanese occupation in Korea. The various levels of social control, cultural oppression, and political censure in the early 20th century, and the modern day repercussions of that period on the modern power dynamics and relationships between the two countries was insightful. The fights over naming, geographic control, and spheres of influence takes on a new meaning in light of historical events. It made me think about how I can make the themes of Imperialism and Colonialism I teach in class more universal, decentering the European mindset towards conquest in World History, and instead focusing on Imperialism, conquest, social/political control, and oppresion as more of a universal experience that is seen and felt globally. This might help students in my class connect more with the late 19th/early 20th century unit that we cover, which student say they find interesting, but also feel disconnected from. I don't have any Korean or Japanese students, but expanding outwards from these periods of history in a particular part of the world, to see that they were happening all over the world, may help students see it as a more relevant topic to be studying, especially since the effects of Imperialism and conquest can be seen all around us today.