Hagen Koo's book, Korean Workers: The Culture and Politics of Class Formation (Cornell University Press, 2001) received a Book Award from the Asia and Asian America Section of the American Sociological Association, given to the best book published on Asia during 2001-2003. The Korean translation of the book was published in 2002 (by Changbi Publisher) and it was selected in the list of the “ten most recommendable books of 2002” chosen by Hankyorae journalists in Korea and in the list of the “most distinguished academic books” selected by the Korean government in 2003. Following the Korean translation, the Chinese and Japanese versions of the book are scheduled to be published in late fall 2003.

The Content of the Book:

This book presents a dramatic history of the industrial working class in South Korea from the 1960s to the present, describing how the first- generation factory workers suffered the brutality of the state-led industrialization and how they struggled to improve conditions in the workplace and to demand social justice in society. Although the working class in South Korea was born in a cultural and political environment extremely hostile to class organization, Korean workers have been able to develop their class identity and solidarity much faster than have their counterparts in other newly industrialized countries in East Asia. This book tries to explain how the once-docile and submissive workers have made themselves into an aggressive working class in a relatively short time. Based on rich sources of data, including workers’ personal writings, union reports, in-depth interviews, and other secondary materials, this book presents a penetrating analysis of the working- class experience in South Korea’s industrialization.