Professor Paul S. Cha (Modern and Classical Languages, Korean Studies) will discuss his just-published book, Forging Protestant Allies: How the Cold War Recast South Korea as a Landscape of Christian Vitality. Why has South Korea long been heralded as a Christian "success story" when only about 30 percent of its population identifies as Christian? Professor Cha shows that the popularization of South Korea's image as a Protestant stronghold took shape during the Korean War. As the conflict unfolded, mission societies and faith-based aid agencies in the United States sought to overcome American indifference toward a distant and unfamiliar country. To mobilize sympathy and support, they reimagined South Korea as a Christian ally on the front lines of the global struggle against communism.
Professor Cha will present material from Forging Protestant Allies on October 26, 2016, at 4:30, in Fenwick Main Reading Room. There will be time for questions, and there will be light refreshments upon the event's conclusion.
This event is sponsored by the Departments of Religious Studies and Modern and Classical Languages.