Virtue That Matters: Chastity Culture and Social Power in Chosŏn Korea (1392–1910)

by Jungwon Kim

Virtue That Matters is a groundbreaking exploration of the intricate dynamics of chastity culture in Chosŏn Korea from 1392 to 1910, shedding light on its political, legal, social, and cultural significance. In this book, Jungwon Kim demonstrates how an emphasis on female chastity came to pervade society as it intertwined with state ideology and elite interests. By analyzing a copious range of sources including governmental publications, legal records, and women’s own writings, Kim unveils the rich tapestry of Chosŏn society’s attitudes toward female chastity and argues that extreme chastity culture was not merely a product of Confucianization but was also shaped by diverse social forces and individual agency. Furthermore, Kim reframes the discourse on chastity by focusing on women’s experiences and perspectives, challenging the traditional portrayal of women as marginal to Chosŏn history.

Virtue That Matters illustrates the complex interplay between state-led indoctrination, socio-legal changes, and gender relations in Chosŏn Korea. Kim also shows how the discourse on women’s chastity evolved over time and continued to influence social dynamics well into the twentieth century. By highlighting the enduring legacy of chastity culture in modern Korean society, Virtue That Matters provides valuable insights into contemporary debates on gender and sexuality.

428 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2025

Reviews

[Haksaeng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extremely important contribution to Korean historical study and gender and its intersections within that history. When reading this, you immediately pick up on a few things:

1) It is thoroughly and completely researched. You will not come away asking yourself questions that the book doesn't answer at some point somewhere. Trust me, Professor Kim will get to it and give you the receipts.

2) Professor Kim cares about this topic in a very touching way. There is true interest and love in the passages. You can see this in how she spends time giving context and voice to the many women affected by Confucian and Neo-Confucian societal demands and the narrow spaces women controlled in all echelons of society by making choices that modern people and women (may or may not) understand.

3) Professor Kim gives you some salacious details, but doesn't exploit anyone. You will come away with a seamless knowledge of chastity and what that looked like for over 1000 years in Korea without any extensive passages of adulterous affairs or sexual crimes, which, incidentally, are available in the meticulously kept records of the literati who investigated incidents of sexual crime, femicide, and suicide. Professor Kim forgoes this to give us enough to understand the legal and intersectional limits being tested by the people who lived under these laws and their guidance.

This is such an important book and it is so well done. I cannot stress this enough.