The Institute for Korean Studies presents:
"Against the Chains of Utility: Sacrifice and Literature in 1970s and 1980s South Korea"
Serk-Bae Suh
University of California, Irvine
Abstract: The 1970s and 1980s were pivotal decades in South Korea, marked by rapid industrialization and urbanization. The language of sacrifice was constantly employed by the developmental state to justify its exploitation of workers and violation of countless civil rights as necessary for the nation’s economic growth and security. As a counter to this prevailing rhetoric, a rich variety of literary texts emerged to capture moments of anti-utilitarian sacrifice. In this talk, Suh discusses the ways in which the visions of anti-utilitarian sacrifice figure in 1970s and 1980s South Korean literature, which range from the idea of sacrifice as an escape from instrumental rationality to the view of literature as a deviation from the mundane world. In doing so, Suh challenges the notion of utilitarian sacrifice, which continues to pervade every aspect of Korean society. He argues that any act of sacrifice for a higher cause is inherently utilitarian, regardless of whether its motives are morally sound or questionable. Such sacrifices establish a circuit of exchange, where sacrifice is valued solely based on its ability to achieve an end. To counter this instrumentalization, anti-utilitarian sacrifice must exist as a means without an end. Suh posits that literature’s relevance to society lies in this seemingly nihilistic sacrifice, viewing literature not as a proxy for politics but as the art of imagination in language.
Serk-Bae Suh teaches Korean literature at University of California, Irvine. He is the author of two monographs, Against the Chains of Utility: Sacrifice and Literature in 1970s and 1980s South Korea (U. of Hawai’i Press, 2025) and Treacherous Translation: Culture, Nationalism, and Colonialism in Korea and Japan from the 1910s to the 1920s (U of California Press, 2013). He also co-edited "Beyond Death: Politics of Suicide and Martyrdom in Korea" (University of Washington Press, 2019). Currently, he is embarking on his new book project tentatively titled The Chance of Being with Others: Accidental Encounters in South Korean Literature.