- Overview
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From Enlightenment to Postcolonialism, an insightful look at the global history of power-knowledge through a national perspective
- Book Intro
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The history of Western philosophy which promised development and prosperity,
A close look at the will to power hidden behind the scenes!
European Modern Intellectual History explains modern European philosophy from a postcolonial perspective. The book takes you through modern European scholars such as Francis Bacon, Voltaire, Jeremy Bentham, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Michel Foucault and looks at their philosophies in the context of the times. It presents a clear picture of how Western philosophy which sculpted the world we live in today was created based on “will to power,” and how even the most critical philosophers were deeply caught in the illusion of universality.
The book places emphasis on the interaction between colonies and modernity. The process of how scholars of Joseon, during the Japanese colonization period, accepted Nietzsche is a good example. Despite the darkness that was Japan’s colonial rule, the scholars of Joseon dreamt of an ideological revolution through Nietzsche. They read Nietzsche as a prophet of Cheondoism or considered him the central figure of Lebensphilosophie that would help them overcome the crisis. The introduction of Nietzsche to colonial Joseon simultaneously shows the limitations of the nation, as Western philosophy could only be imported through the Empire of Japan. At the same time, it shows the efforts to interpret Nietzsche as a resource for social reform.
The book’s author, professor Yook Youngsoo, is a long-time researcher of modern history of Western philosophy, including the age of enlightenment and the French revolution. Yook maintains a viewpoint that is from the sidelines rather than a central standpoint as he brings together history, philosophy and ideologies together to interpret the grand flow of the history of modern European philosophy. Yook tries to escape a Eurocentric perspective and offers a telling of history through a postcolonial and gender perspective. Such insight about how the philosophies of “the great thinkers” were shaped through historical context and limitations, will allow readers to become more than just informed, but to take on their true lead roles in history.
- About the Author
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Yook YoungSoo
A professor in the dept. of History at Chung-Ang University., Yook YoungSoo graduated from Hanyang University with a major in English language & literature, and studied history at the University of Colorado and received his master’s and doctoral degree at the University of Washington. He majored in Saint-Simonianism, and minored in modern British history, history of the French revolution, and modern Korean history. He served as the President of The Korean Workshop for the History of Culture and is currently the 53rd President of The Korean Society for Western History. His books include The History of Books and Reading and The Betrayal of Revolution, Memories of Resistance, and has co-written Postmodernism and Historical Studies, The Century of Historical Studies, Humans of Memory Homo Memoris, A Transnational research of Historical Studies, and How Memory Recreates History, etc.
