Thesis research book concept and description
The Power of an Alphabet to Define a Culture My thesis research started as an investigation into literacy and power, studying the development of the Korean alphabet as a case study. My research extended into disappearing languages and how the development of an accessible writing system, a phonetic alphabet, helps preserve the language and the culture embodied in it. An alphabet acts as a visual representation of the language and the culture, and has the power to assert the legitimacy of a culture. The Korean alphabet is an amazing invention and considered the most scientific alphabets ever developed. The alphabet’s development, structure, and graphic forms are based on principles of Neo-Confucianism. As the neo-confucian philosophy informed the structure and design of the Korean alphabet, I investigated how it can inform the design of my thesis book. Eum and Yang (yin and yang) are the two primal forces, and their interactions create […]