One Woman’s Teaching in Late Chosŏn Korea

Speaker: Michael Pettid, Professor of Korean Studies, Department of Asian and Asian American Studies, Binghamton University

Moderator: Jungwon Kim, the King Sejong Assistant Professor of Korean Studies, Columbia University

This talk examines the life of an upper-status woman, Lady Yi (1759–1824), and her household in the late Chosŏn period. Through her writings, we see a world shaped by resourcefulness and autonomy within the constraints of her time. Her guidebook, an encyclopedia of domestic practice compiled for her daughters and daughters-in-law, offers a richly detailed view of how a household might have functioned, from its cuisine to its caregiving practices. Lady Yi wrote with the authority of lived experience, managing her household with a hands-on approach that reflected her personal interpretation of morality and practicality. We also are given an excellent window to appreciate the material culture of her household. This helps demonstrate how various goods had become increasingly important in this period as the economy of Chosŏn had shifted to one with an increasing emphasis on material goods.

Michael Pettid is Professor of Korean Studies at Binghamton University where he has taught since 2003. The focus of his research and teaching is premodern Korea’s history, literature, religion, and culture. His most recent books are the co-edited volumes of Premodern Korean Literary Prose (Columbia University Press, 2018) and Death, Mourning, and the Afterlife in Korea: Critical Aspects of Death from Ancient to Contemporary Times (University of Hawaii Press, 2014); he also has monographs of Unyŏng-on: A Love Affair at the Royal Palace of Chosŏn Korea (Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley), and Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History (Reaktion Books, 2008) among numerous other publications. His most recent publication is a co-authored and annotated translation of a 19th-century guidebook for women, the Kyuhap ch’ongsŏ [The Encyclopedia of Daily Life] (University of Hawaii Press, 2021).

This event is hosted by the Center for Korean Research at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute.

For registration, please click here: https://ckr.weai.columbia.edu/events/one-womans-teaching-late-choson-korea.