2026-06-27 –, Room 302 (Seats 48)
This study aims to compare the formation processes of modern basic administrative units in Korea, Japan, and some European countries. It will also examine whether mutual influence emerged during this process. The modern nation-state gains formidable power by incorporating grassroots human communities—such as villages or clans—into its bureaucratic administrative system, thereby achieving national integration.
This study first compares the formation processes of modern basic administrative systems in Korea and Japan. From the late 19th century onward, Japan exerted significant influence on the institutionalization of basic administrative units during Korea's modern state formation period (late 19th century to 1945). However, this ultimately did not result in Japanization. Today, the administrative units of Korea and Japan (Korea's city(市)/county(郡) and Japan's city(市)/town(町)/village(村)) differ greatly in scale and proportionality. This stems from the fact that the traditional basic communities and social organizational structures of the two countries were vastly different.
Meanwhile, Japan's system was established during the Meiji Grand Consolidation period (1868–1889) following the Meiji Restoration. This process heavily referenced Western models like Germany's, and even today, European and Japanese systems share some similarities. Viewed this way, European systems influenced Japan, and Japanese systems influenced Korea; nevertheless, each nation significantly developed its own unique system independently.
Comparative studies of this institutional formation history and its mutual influence relationships vividly illustrate the contradictory nature of the modern nation-state. The modern nation-state undergoes a contradictory process: it civilly subjugates and unifies regional organizations while simultaneously allowing specific regional characteristics to continue developing. Moreover, these national differences in particularity have become a major factor in the diversity of world history since the modern era.
modern nation-state, grassroots human communities, basic administrative units, Korea, Japan
I am a contract researcher at Seoul National University. My specialization is in social history and historical sociology (particularly concerning Korea). I am interested in the relationship between class/stratification, social organization, and social identity. I am especially interested in comparative research involving diverse societies, including both Western and Eastern contexts. Simply put, I am interested in comparative research on the changes and balances in social organization, its formation, and related cultural shifts across various societies.
Currently, I am conducting historical-demographic and historical-sociological research on population and social organization in Korea during the pre-modern to modern transition period. I am also engaged in conceptual history research through quantitative analysis of key terms.