On March 29th, 2021, the GW Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) hosted another Book Talk Series on Chosŏn Korea, featuring The Diary of 1636 and the Manchu Invasions of Korea. In this presentation, George Kallander, Associate Professor of History at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University introduces his new book The Diary of 1636: The Second Manchu Invasion of Korea (Columbia University Press, 2020). The presentation and discussion was moderated by Professor Jisoo Kim, Director of GWIKS. Professor Kallander started the presentation by giving a brief introduction to the contents of his book. The first half of his presentation discusses the Manchu Korean struggles during the first half of the 17th century. Next, he focuses on the writer Na Man’gap and offers insights into his experiences and reasons for composing the diary, and finally he concludes by offering his comments about what we can learn from these struggles during the Manchu Wars.
Following Professor Kallander’s presentation, the moderator moved onto a Q&A session. The audience submitted a wide range of questions such as Na Man’gap’s view on the concept of loyalty and fidelity with reference to women, how did geography enter Chosŏn’s preference of the Ming over the Qing dynasties, geopolitical circumstances of the Ming transition, the speaker’s views on the role of Manchu invasion, factional strife and relationship with the Ming, how the narratives of the Korean invasion challenge current understandings of Korean identity, Chosŏn’s military preparedness after the 1627 crisis, and more.
