[BWAHAHAHAHA 15] ‘An Astonishing Piece of Work’

An unavoidable aspect of Korea’s modernization is that much of it happened in the context of its colonization which lasted from 1910-45. However, the text I’m looking at was published in 1916, and the situation it describes appears to precede colonization. It’s thus a window into the era between when Korea’s ports were opened to trade in 1876 — when foreign technology and influence began to enter the country — and the colonial era. The joke describes a family learning about a new technology — photography. What’s most interesting is what’s associated with it. The biggest surprise is that the figure depicted as having the most knowledge and understanding of new technology is the father, while the younger generation is clueless. This is counterintuitive today, when it’s taken for granted that the younger generation are experts in new technology and older people are the clueless ones. It is perhaps less surprising that the figure who’s knowledgeable about new technology is a man, and that the capital is depicted as the center of modern technology in contrast to the coun

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