Against the Chains of Utility: Sacrifice and Literature in 1970s and 1980s South Korea

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, including Kim Hyŏn’s critical essays, Pak Sangnyung’s monumental novel A Study of Death (1975), and Ko Chŏnghǔi’s poems about the Passion of Jesus. Against the Chains of Utility examines the anti-utilitarian visions outlined in these and other works, 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, it tasks us with rethinking literature’s relationship to society during formative years in South Korean history.

In Against the Chains of Utility, Serk-Bae 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 as associate professor at the University of California, Irvine.