DR Anders Karlsson
| Biography | I am a social and institutional historian of Choson Korea (1392-1910). I received my PhD in Korean history from Stockholm University in 2000 with a dissertation on the Hong Kyongnae Rebellion which erupted in the North-western part of the Korean peninsula in 1812. Since 2000 I have been at SOAS continuing my research into the rural situation in late Choson, focussing on various forms of famine and disaster relief enacted by the state and the structures of local administration. I have also developed an interest in the legal history of the period and have done work on the role of law and punishment in Confucian statecraft, punishment and cultural notions of the body, and how the social status system of the period was reflected in the legal system. At SOAS I teach Korean history, contemporary Korean culture and society, and a module on Chinese characters (Hanja) as they are used in Korean. I also have a keen interest in translation and have with a co-translator for the last 25 years translated a number of Korean novels into Swedish, most recently two works by the 2024 Nobel Prize laureate Han Kang. |
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| Research Interests | - Social, institutional and intellectual history of Choson Korea (1392-1910) - Confucian statecraft - Famine and disaster relief - Penal law - Rural unrest and rebellion - Writing systems |
| PhD Supervision Availability | Yes |
| PhD Topics | I welcome proposals on Korean history, in particular on pre-20th century history. |