Description: This book argues that North Korea has outlived forecasts of its collapse because of Juche-a unique political institution built on the simple notion of self-determination, whose meanings and limits have been shaped by Koreans' experiences with colonialism, war, and development ...
Review Quotes:
"Jae-Jung Suh's edited volume Origins of North Korea's Juche: Colonialism, War, and Development, is a much welcome addition to the field of Korean studies. . . .This volume makes a very valuable contribution to the existing literature on North Korean history by introducing the work of Korean scholars who have made significant contributions to the Korean-language historiography on the postwar development of the North Korean political and ideological systems. For this fact alone, the volume should be on the reading lists of students of North Korea. . . .The editor should be commended in particular for assembling works by scholars who primarily write in Korean. The volume will be of interest to both political scientists and historians." --Pacific Affairs
"This is doubtlessly a very timely book on an important topic, combining the insights of prominent experts. A must-read for everyone who aims at a better understanding of North Korea's present and future through its past." --Rudiger Frank "This book is a fascinating and illuminating work. It opens a new and revealing window on the North Korean experience, in essays written by top American and South Korean scholars (including some who do not usually publish in English). In contrast to the hysteria and bombast that accompanies much American debate about the North, Origins of North Korea's Juche offers a sober, patient, deeply learned inquiry into what really makes this country tick. The paucity of similar accounts gives this book an unusual interest and provenance." --Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago; author of The Origins of the Korean War