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Shop nowKorea
A Very Short Introduction
Narrator
Paul Heitsch
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Length
4 hours 30 minutes
Language
English
Having spent centuries in the shadows of its neighbors China and Japan, Korea is now the object of considerable interest for radically different reasons—the South as an economic success story and for its vibrant popular culture; the North as the home to one of the world's most repressive regimes, at once both bizarre and menacing.
Korea: A Very Short Introduction explores the history, culture, and society of a deeply divided region. Michael Seth considers what it means to be Korean, and analyzes how the various peoples of the Korean peninsula became one of the world's most homogeneous nations, before exploring how this nation evolved, in a single lifetime, into today's sharply contrasting societies. He also discusses how Korea fits into the larger narrative of both East Asian and world history, economically, politically, and socially.
Michael J. Seth has been a professor of world history at James Madison University for more than twenty years. He worked and taught English in Korea for many years before receiving his PhD in East Asian History from the University of Hawaii. He has authored several books on Korean history, including A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present, A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present, A Concise History of Korea: From the Neolithic to the Nineteenth Century, and Education Fever: Politics, Society and the Pursuit of Schooling in South Korea.
Paul Heitsch has been narrating audiobooks since 2011, after having worked as a pianist, composer, recording engineer, producer, and sound designer for many years. His work is often cited for the authenticity he brings to the narrative and characters he portrays, as well as his versatility, and clear, smooth delivery. He has been a presenter at several webinars and seminars for the Audiobook Publishing Association and SAG-AFTRA.