Artisanal Heart: The Vernacular Engineers of Early Modern Korea

What happens if we tell the history of engineering backwards, that is, not from Western Europe—its current heartland—but from Choson Korea (1392–1910)—a periphery on the other end of Eurasia? My talk answers the question by uncovering the knowledge of Korean artisans and practitioners. To date, historians have traced modern engineering back to Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci or French officers at the cusp of the Revolution. I argue, however, that the rise of a systematic approach to making was a global phenomenon. If told so far with Western traits, the Korean story reveals a commensurate yet distinctive system of making, which critically expands our understanding of science and technology in the early modern world.

Please RSVP here. This event will be held fully in-person. We encourage non-Stanford affiliates to join in-person; please review the library visitor access page.

About the Speaker:

Hyeok Hweon Kang is Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Washington University in St. Louis. He works and teaches on early modern Korea and East Asia, with a focus on the history of science, history of technology, and global material culture. His current book project examines the rise of “vernacular engineering” in early modern Korea, tracing how artisans and practitioners of Chosŏn (1392–1910) developed a proficient, multimedia system of material design and production. Portions of this work have received the Turriano ICOHTEC Prize from the International Committee for the History of Technology, the Joan Cahalin Robinson Prize from the Society for the History of Technology, and the ICAS Book Prize (English—Best Dissertation in the Humanities) from the International Convention of Asia Scholars. The project has been funded by the American Historical Association, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Korea Foundation, among other institutions. His publications have appeared in scholarly journals such as Isis: A Journal of the History of Science Society, History & Technology, Journal of World History, and the Journal of Cultural Analytics.