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    Literary Autonomy in North Korea: Authority, Agency, and the Art of Control

    Cover for Literary Autonomy in North Korea: Authority, Agency, and the Art of Control
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    View/Open: Killough_georgetown_0076M_13491.pdf (234kB) Bookview

    Creator
    Killough, Catherine Elizabeth
    Advisor
    Cha, Victor D
    ORCID
    0000-0002-8272-7865
    Abstract
    What explains the absence of a popular uprising in a country that, despite isolation, has experienced an infiltration of information over the years; despite lethargy, has felt the emergence of class divisions; and, despite oppression, has seen a high number of citizens risk their lives to escape everyday? Given the existence of several conditions that raise the likelihood for civil unrest in North Korea, this paper highlights a shortcoming in prior theories on revolution. In particular, the North Korea case calls attention to an under-theorized constraint that citizens face when determining how to respond to oppression: literary autonomy. By this measure, the incidence of mass disobedience varies depending on 1) reader autonomy, the degree to which readers can gain access to literature, and 2) writer autonomy, the degree to which writers can disseminate written work. By underscoring the utility and significance of literary autonomy, the argument at present hopes to contribute to explanations for variation in civil discontent across authoritarian states. This paper not only complements and builds upon previous theories, but also promotes closer analysis of literary processes, which remain an understudied mechanism beyond the humanities.
    Description
    M.A.
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10822/1043800
    Date Published
    2017
    Subject
    authoritarianism; civil society; literary autonomy; North Korea; popular uprising; revolution; Asia -- Research; International relations; Literature; Asian studies; International relations; Literature;
    Type
    thesis
    Publisher
    Georgetown University
    Extent
    34 leaves
    Collections
    • Program of Asian Studies
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    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2023 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility