Historicizing happiness management in the Joseon Korean kingdom

This chapter explores how happiness was defined and managed within Korean society during the Joseon period that extended from 1392 until 1910. It considers the different spiritual and moral knowledge traditions that shaped meanings of happiness and thought to be achieved both by individuals of different gender, class and social status and by society at large, as well as how it was to be managed, and by whom, through diverse practices. While it shared ways of thinking about happiness were shared within the wider Sino-cultural world, Korean ideas and practices were inflected by indigenous traditions and practices that, over the long duration of the Joseon kingdom, produced specifically Korean practices of happiness management.

© 2024 selection and editorial matter, Katie Barclay, Darrin M.
McMahon, and Peter N. Stearns; individual chapters, the contributors

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