Introduction to "Cultural Exchanges Between Korea and the West: Artifacts and Intangible Heritage"

This volume encompasses the proceedings of the First International Conference of the East and West in Korean Studies project Cultural Exchanges Between Korea and the West: Artifacts and Intangible Heritage, organized by Jong-Chol An and Ariane Perrin in the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in May 2021 with the support of the Academy of Korean Studies. The conference focused on cross-cultural exchanges and historical encounters between Korea and the West in premodern and modern times in the form of cultural artifacts as well as heritage that is intangible. It endeavored to examine the role of Korea at the crossroads of these exchanges when the country entered a new stage of major social and political change at the turn of the twentieth century, which coincided with the global rise of colonial powers that increased international travels and scientific exchanges. Following an interdisciplinary approach from such fields as history, heritage studies, history of art and religious studies, nine essays were selected that best illustrate the main themes of the conference. Divided into three parts, this volume initially explores early historical encounters between Western travelers and Koreans from all walks of life, whether it be members of the Korean royal family, Western photographers or writers, diplomatic envoys, female entertainers known as kisaeng or Jesuit scholars toward the end of the Chosŏn period (1392-1910), during the short-lived Korean Empire (1897-1910) and the Japanese colonial period (1910-45). The second and third parts cover art history, heritage and material culture respectively and offer a vivid account of these cultural exchanges through surviving artifacts (e.g. painted screens, picture postcards, Korean art objects etc.) that resulted from the worldwide expansion of commercial tourism and trade. This richly-illustrated publication presents little-known historical documents and various artifacts that had been lost to time within various institutions, private collections or museum collections, tracing back their history and significance.