문학과 지성사

With the key word humiliation, the author analyzes the various phenomena of Korean society and Korean life. Humilation is a painful emotion that one experiences when the value of his existence is denied or degraded. Since this emotion damages the human psyche, it is very complex and significant. With the overall social issues including the highest suicide rate, the unheard-of excessive competition for university entrance tests, malicious online comments and emotional labor, according to the author, the fear of being humiliated is deeply associated, which reinforces self-destructive tendencies or the feeling of shame among people and leads to rage and violence in the end.

In this book, with the insight of the humanities, the author reveals the truth of humiliation, which is more than just a kind of emotion. He closely examines what humiliation is, why we humiliate each other and what we need to do in order to overcome the tendency to humiliate each other. For this, Kim explains by giving specific examples collected from common human experiences, references to the humanities and psychology, news articles, dramas, films and literary works, along with his extensive field research, which resonates with readers, helps them understand better, and excites their interest. It offers a new perspective on society in regard to emotion and this perspective can be used both individually and socially. The author helps readers reflect on the dark and complex side of their inner mind and think about the dignity of human life and how to make such dignity possible in society.

Also, interestingly, this book is accompanied by an audio CD including 10 songs, which acoustically leads to a better understanding on the content and the meaning of each chapter. The songs are the result of an attempt to reinterpret the text using music in collaboration with composer YU Ju-Hwan. It will provide readers with a unique experience and reading pleasure.