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The role of the cultural policy in consolidation of the power : a case study of North Korea from liberation to the 1970s
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Go, Minseung (2022) The role of the cultural policy in consolidation of the power : a case study of North Korea from liberation to the 1970s. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3941367
Abstract
This thesis argues that a comprehensive analysis of the political utilisation of cultural and artistic sectors is essential to accurately comprehend the establishment and maintenance of the power structure in North Korea. This thesis examines the role of cultural policy in consolidating power in North Korea from the period after liberation (1945) to the late 1970s, using Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony as a theoretical framework. Through a Gramscian lens, it becomes evident that there are crucial elements of cultural hegemony theory at play within the North Korean sociopolitical context, wherein intellectuals and cultural institutions are utilised to uphold absolute power. Whereas totalitarian dictatorships tend to rely on violence and suppression to control the population, North Korea's cultural policy plays a pivotal role in fostering voluntary acceptance of their leadership by transforming civil society from its early stages.
The findings of this thesis highlight the significant role of Kim Jong-il as an organic intellectual in legitimising the Kim regime, particularly during his pursuit of hereditary succession. Despite lacking a military background, Kim Jong-il successfully established his legitimacy as successor by espousing the "Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System" in 1974, based on the Juche ideology that idolised Kim Il-sung. He also developed the theory of Juche literature and art, which shaped all artistic endeavours in North Korea. Through education, crowd culture, performing arts, and films, Kim Jong-il effectively propagated Juche ideology and solidified his position as a leading intellectual and successor. These findings were analysed through content analysis in the respective cultural fields. It is anticipated that this thesis contributes to enhanced understanding of the process through which North Korean political society has been formed through the lens of cultural policy.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DS Asia H Social Sciences > HM Sociology N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Art and state -- Korea (North), Korea (North) -- Cultural policy, Korea (North) -- Politics and government -- 1970, Hegemony -- Korea (North) | ||||
Official Date: | February 2022 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Gray, Clive | ||||
Format of File: | |||||
Extent: | 246 pages : illustrations, map | ||||
Language: | eng |
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