Underwood International College

 Assistant Professor of History

• D.Phil. in Oriental Studies, The University of Oxford, Wolfson College
• M.St. in Korean Studies, The University of Oxford, Wolfson College
• M.A. in Korean Studies, Korea University

Profile

Thomas Quartermain received his doctorate in Oriental Studies at Oxford University in 2016 and was awarded a Korea Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship at King’s College, University of Western Ontario from 2016 to 2017. Before coming to Yonsei, Dr. Quartermain had previously researched at the Asiatic Research Institute (Korea University) and worked at Endicott College and the Georgia Institute of Technology. His dissertation and current research investigate changes in Joseon Korean politics and society during the reigns of Kings Seonjo, Gwanghae’gun and Injo. In addition, he has continued to research aspects of pre-modern identity and international politics in NE Asia with a focus on Joseon Korea and Qing China. Dr. Quartermain joined the UIC faculty in the Spring of 2020 teaching courses on pre-19^th century Korean history and post-17^th century Chinese history.

Education

D.Phil. in Oriental Studies, The University of Oxford, Wolfson College
M.St. in Korean Studies, The University of Oxford, Wolfson College
M.A. in Korean Studies, Korea University
B.A. in International Relations, California State University

Courses and Current Research Areas

World History Group I: Foundations of Pre-Modern Korea

World History Group II: Foundations of Modern China

AS LHP: Topics in Chinese History (Socio-Political Identity in China)

History and Memory in East Asia

Selected Publications

“Two Perspectives on the Land, State and the Environment in Pre-Modern and Modern Korea” [Book Review] The Journal of Northeast Asian History, vol. 20, no. 1, Winter 2023, pp. 189-206.

(KCI) “America Dreams of Modern Chinese Empire: Modern Superpowers, Nation-States and the Imperial Past.” The Journal of Peace Studies, vol. 23, no. 4, 2022, pp. 93-113.

(SCOPUS/KCI) “State Symbols, Group Identity and Communal Memory in Jeong Gyeong-un’s Godae illok, 1592-1598.” The Review of Korean Studies, vol. 22, no. 2, 2019, pp. 65-86.

(A&HCI/SCOPUS/KCI) “Besieged on a Frozen Mountain Top: Opposing Records of the Second Manchu Invasion, 1636-1637.” Acta Koreana, vol.21, no. 1, 2018, pp. 137-167. doi:10.18399/acta.2018.21.1.006

(ECI/IESSA) “China and Europe: Energy Competition and Cooperation.” In China and Europe: Fostering Mutual Understanding(European Journal of Sinology Special Issues 1), edited by Luigi Moccia and Martin Woesler, pp. 311-336. Bochum: European University Press, 2014.

More Information

Recent Presentations and Work

Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, The University of Oxford (July 1st, 2023 – August 31st, 2023)

 “The Blind Watchmaker? Self-Perpetuation and Government Funding of Korean Studies” at The Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, February 6th, 2023

 “The Sajik 社稷 of Joseon: Shrines of the Capital and Provinces” at Keimyung International Conference on Korean Studies, Daegu, South Korea, October 29th, 2022.

 “For Nation, State and King?: Debating Patriotism during the Japanese Invasions of Korea, 1592-1598” with the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch and HASS/Asian Studies Lecture at Yonsei University, March 23, 2022 [online].