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Title details for North of the DMZ by Andrei Lankov - Available

North of the DMZ

Essays on Daily Life in North Korea

by Andrei Lankov
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The Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea for over 60 years. Most of that period has found the country suffering under mature Stalinism characterized by manipulation, brutality and tight social control. Nevertheless, some citizens of Kim Jong Il's regime manage to transcend his tyranny in their daily existence. This book describes that difficult but f existence and the world that the North Koreans have created for themselves in the face of oppression. Many features of this world are unique and even bizarre. But they have been created by the citizens to reflect their own ideas and values, in sharp contrast to the world forced upon them by a totalitarian system. Opening chapters introduce the political system and the extent to which it permeates citizens' daily lives, from the personal status badges they wear to the nationalized distribution of the food they eat. Chapters discussing the schools, the economic system, and family life dispel the myth of the workers' paradise that North Korea attempts to perpetuate. In these chapters the intricacies of daily life in a totalitarian dictatorship are seen through the eyes of defectors whose anecdotes constitute an important portion of the material. The closing chapter treats at length the significant changes that have taken place in North Korea over the last decade, concluding that these changes will lead to the quiet but inevitable death of North Korean Stalinism. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 10, 2014

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780786451418

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780786451418
      • File size: 6404 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • School Library Journal

      August 1, 2007
      Adult/High School-If anything is missing here, it's probably not worth knowing. The book is comprised of pieces published in the "Asia Times" and "Korea Times", two English-language newspapers published in Asia, and adapted and updated for this volume. The author, born and raised in Russia, studied in North Korea in the 1980s as part of a student exchange program; he has returned when possible, interviewed defectors and refugees, and closely followed developments and changes in the country over the last 20 years. He contrasts daily living and political conditions then with those of today, explaining how and why these changes have come about. The fall of the USSR in 1991 meant the end of Russian subsidies to North Korea; this triggered the partial collapse of the economy, which has given rise to the necessity of citizens finding ways to survive that don't involve the state. Thus, a market economy is growing but, unlike other failed Communist states, from the bottom up. Lankov's coverage runs from communications to cars, marriage to museums, class differences to clothing styles, and women's place to housing possibilities. Although this is not a political book, the author offers an informed opinion on the future of North Korea. Well written, comprehensive, and revelatory, this title will be valuable to students of history, international relations, culture, and Korea."Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA"

      Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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