Conference: The role of heritage in the construction of Korean identity – M128 – Missions Etrangères de Paris – Paris, 75007

Since its founding in 1948, the Republic of Korea has continued to highlight its tangible and intangible heritage, demonstrating that Koreans have been able to welcome continental and maritime cultures over the centuries while developing a unique culture having nothing to envy their neighbors. This heritage has long been associated with a national romance which was itself exacerbated by the Japanese colonial episode of the early 20th century. Nowadays, heritage no longer only serves to construct identity at the national level, but it also responds to a desire for recognition of the Korean peninsula on the world stage. (NB: Religious heritage, and particularly Catholic heritage, is an integral part of this identity construction). About the speaker: Pierre Emmanuel Roux: Lecturer at Paris Cité University and member of the EHESS China, Korea, Japan Center. His work focuses on the religious and legal history of East Asia between the 17th and 19th centuries. He is notably the author of The Cross, the Whale and the Cannon: France facing Korea in the middle of the 19th century (Cerf, 2012. Prix Auguste Pavie)