본문 바로가기
  • Home

The Meanings of the Changga for Young Women of Twentieth Century (1921) as an Educational Material for Women

  • Journal of the Korean Society for Musicology
  • Abbr : JKSM
  • 2024, 32(2), pp.69~152
  • DOI : 10.34303/mscol.2024.32.2.003
  • Publisher : The Korean Society for Musicology
  • Research Area : Arts and Kinesiology > Musicology > Other Musicology
  • Received : October 15, 2024
  • Accepted : December 1, 2024
  • Published : December 30, 2024

Park, Jeongsook 1

1이화여자대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study examines how the Changga for Young Women of Twentieth Century (1921) contributed to the establishment of female identity by conceptualizing music as a form of women’s education during the Modern period. Changga, recognized as either a civilized or enlightened sound, serves as a reservoir that enables us to speculate on and comprehend Korean modernity. In this context, Changga is a musical genre with practical purpose to articulate aspirations for modern society and reinforce the thoughts and norms of the new era. Following the 3・1 Movement in the 1920s, there was not only the intensified fervor for education, but also an increased discourses among youths regarding their responsibilities as social leaders, as well as among women concerning the necessity and significance of female education, as reflected in newspapers and magazines. Despite the scarcity of recourses for female education, the publication of Changga for Young Women of Twentieth Century reflects its role as educational materials that offer specific action plans for young women/new woman. Granting women with a sense of belonging in modern society. Changga for Young Women of Twentieth Century separated tradition from modernity and stratified them with hierarchy through the form of song. It constructs a socially consensual image of modern women, idealizing the roles of the wise mother and the good wife within the family, while simultaneously emphasizing gender equality and the importance of women’s education. In other words, Changga for Young Women of Twentieth Century consistently censored the behaviors to which young women/new women should be vigilant, while simultaneously perpetuating traditional Confucian values, including the notions of the virtuous woman and daughter. Not only does this song book but also educational materials for women, demonstrate how men possessing intellectual authority have historically overlooked the social values of women, utilizing their standards to establish a gendered order.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2024 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.