Category Archives: Korean Philosophy

Cline reviews Ivanhoe and Wang, Korean Women Philosophers, at NDPR

Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Philip J. Ivanhoe and Hwa Yeong Wang, Korean Women Philosophers and the Ideal of a Female Sage: Essential Writings of Im Yungjidang and Gang Jeongildang, Oxford University Press, 2023, 304 pp., $30.99 (pbk) ISBN 9780197508695.

Reviewed by Erin M. Cline, Georgetown University

“Are there any lineages of women philosophers in Confucianism?” When students in my Chinese Philosophy classes ask this question, I enjoy answering yes. Now, I am delighted to be able to assign the work of the philosophers I tell them about. This book collects and translates, for the first time, the work of the first and only explicit lineage of Confucian women philosophers: Im Yunjidang (1721-1793) and Gang Jeongildang (1772-1832).[1] They are rooted in the Korean Confucian tradition, a much-neglected but extraordinarily rich and sophisticated branch of Confucianism that has had a deep and enduring impact in East Asia….

View the whole review online

 

Online Lecture on Korean Confucianism

An online seminar by Dr Nikolett Roque-Kőrösi on “Korean Confucianism: Beyond stereotypes and misreadings”  is going to be hosted on Thursday 31st July 2025 at 3pm (AWST), 2pm (AEST) and 4pm (Seoul).The talk introduces the basic concepts of Korean Confucianism while challenging some of the common misinterpretations found in Western media and scholarship – and sometimes even within Korea. Please find more details about the lecture here.

 

CFP: 2026 APA NAKPA at George Mason University USA

The North American Korean Philosophy Association (NAKPA) is organizing two group sessions at the 2026 Eastern Division Meeting of APA (American Philosophical Association) in Baltimore, Maryland USA. The 2025 APA Eastern Division Meeting will be held in person at Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland from January 7 (Wed) –10 (Sat), 2026. For application, please see more information below. Continue reading →

2025 Annual NAKPA (Korean Philosophy) Conference at George Mason University

The annual NAKPA conference will be held at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, June 26 & 27, 2025, for two full days under the auspices of Professor Young-chan Ro together with the Department of Religious Studies and Korean Studies center at GM. The host professor Ro will also gives a keynote address. Attached please find the conference program. Continue reading →

CFP: International Society of East Asian Philosophy (ISEAP)

The International Society of East Asian Philosophy (ISEAP) will have its fourth international conference on December 14-15, which will be held at the Fukuoka University, Japan.

Abstracts for individual papers and organized panels in English(preferably), Chinese and Korean are welcomed. Presented papers will be invited to submit to a special issue of The Journal of East Asian Philosophy (published by Springer, peer-reviewed, all in English).

The submission deadline is September 1, 2024 (Japan Time). Please check the ISEAP website for more details regarding the conference and submission details.

OUP Highlights Korean Women Philosophers

This March, Oxford Universty Press is focused on ‘Women in the History of Philosophy’ and have made the following chapter Introduction | Korean Women Philosophers and the Ideal of a Female Sage: Essential Writings of Im Yungjidang and Gang Jeongildang | Oxford Academic (oup.com) free to read. Congrats to the editors/translators, P. J. Ivanhoe and Hwa Yeong Wang!

CFP: NAKPA Annual Conference

NAKPA (North American Korean Philosophy Association) is holding the 8th Annual conference at Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea, on November 9-10th 2023. The topic for this year will be “Communication, Dialogue and Reconciliation” and the keynote speaker will be Professor Edward Chung. The selection committee will consider all papers regardless of the academic and research background of the sender. Proposals on the variations of this year’s conference topic, such as comparative Asian Philosophy, Politics and Philosophy, or Comparative Political Philosophy, will also be considered. Please read below for more information on submissions.

Continue reading →

New Book: Korean Women Philosophers

The Oxford University Press has recently published a translation and study Korean Women Philosophers and the Ideal of a Female Sage: Essential Writings of Im Yungjidang and Gang Jeongildang, edited by Philip J. Ivanhoe and Hwa Yeong Wang. This work introduces the lives and ideas of two female Korean Confucian philosophers from the Joseon Dynasty. This edited edition provides translation and analysis of the writings of these philosophers. The editors also add in compared and contrast the philosophers’ thoughts with that of western thinkers.

New Book: Emotions in Korean Philosophy and Religion

Palgrave Macmillan has recently published a new book titled Emotions in Korean Philosophy and Religion edited by Edward Y. J. Chung and Jea Sophia Oh. The book is open to be freely download all together or in chapters as well! The book present thirteen articles on the fascinating topic of emotion in Korean Philosophy and religion. It not only gives background to emotions from both West and East disciplines but also offers insights into the diversity of Korean emotions. It discusses key Korean Confucian thinkers, debates and ideas to show the dynamics of these emotions.

New Book: Kim, Im Yunjidang

Cambridge University Press has recently published a new book titled Im Yunjidang by Sungmoon Kim. This short book in the Cambridge Elements series, looks at Im Yunjidang, an 18th-century Korean female Neo-Confucian philosopher, and is freely available to access online for the next two weeks. The book attempts to bring a new perspective on the relation between Confucianism and feminism. It critically examines the philosophical thought of Im Yunjidang and presents her as a feminist thinker in the time period. It shows how Im Yunjidang was able to reformulate Neo-Confucian metaphysics and ethics of moral self-cultivation.