Historian of Korea and University of Washington professor of international studies and of history.
James B. Palais was born on March 8, 1934. He received a B.A. from Harvard University in 1955, an M.A. from Yale University in 1960, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1968. He taught in the history departments of Norfolk State College (1966-1967) and the University of Maine (1967-1968) before coming to the University of Washington in 1968 as a professor of Korean history in the Far Eastern and Russian Institute. Beginning in 1969, he held dual appointments in the Institute for Comparative & Foreign Area Studies (later the School of International Studies) and in History, until his retirement in 2001.
Palais' book "Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institutions" earned the John Whitney Hall book prize as the best book on Japan or Korea in 1998 from the Association for Asian Studies. Palais also published "Occasional Papers on Korea" from 1974 to 1977, and the "Journal of Korean Studies" from 1979 to 1984. From 1988 to 2005 he edited the monograph series "Korean Studies". At the time of his death, Palais was general editor for the Cambridge University Press "History of Korea". Palais died on August 6, 2006.
Arranged in 3 accessions
The Palais collection contains a broad array of materials that cover the entirety of his academic career from his student days at Harvard University to his final projects at the University of Washington. The most numerous materials include 1) correspondence with students, colleagues, editors, and publishers, 2) reading notes, 3) teachings materials, 4) letters to newspaper editors and politicians, and 5) English translations of Classical Chinese, Korean, and Japanese texts.
1) Correspondence
Dr. Palais’ papers include many files of letters to and from his students, colleagues, and students who later became colleagues. While there was no time to read through all of these files, a cursory examination revealed letters concerning research and publication projects, the Korea Foundation and the question of whether or not scholars should accept Korean Foundation funding, letters of recommendation, comments on dissertations, papers, and book manuscripts, and discussions with editors and publishers concerning the development of now standard texts in Anglophone Korean studies literature. In addition to illuminating the trajectories of Palais’ and other scholars’ intellectual and sometimes political development, these letters have the potential to show the extent of Palais’ influence in Korean studies in North America and beyond. While there is a notion commonly in circulation among Korean Studies scholars, particularly in Korea, that Palais and his students constitute a “Palais Mafia” (팔레 마피아), even a cursory reading of the correspondence between Palais and his past students/colleagues suggest nuanced relationships characterized by more intellectual dissent, discussion, and freedom than the term “mafia” would suggest. Indeed, Palais’ letters have the potential to show both the strengths and the limits of his influence within Anglophone Korean studies. While the Palais letters contain a great deal of information valuable in understanding the development of Korean Studies in the United States, it is of utmost importance to take into consideration the fact that they also contain a great deal of confidential material. Among the most sensitive materials are letters of recommendation for students and tenure candidates, many of whom are not only still living but are currently key figures in their respective fields. Letters of recommendation are written and read in the expectation of full confidentiality. Should this confidentiality be violated referees may hesitate to freely evaluate candidates while those who read recommendations may no longer take them to be complete and honest assessments. The utmost care and consideration must be taken in any future decisions concerning when or even whether to digitize these and other letters of the Palais collection.
2) Reading Notes
Palais took extensive reading notes, almost all of which are typed. In several occasions his reading notes reach hundreds of pages in length for single monographs. In some cases the notes appear to be so detailed that they paraphrase or perhaps even translate the source text. There was little to time to examine these notes in detail but they could potentially be of value to those interested in the development of Palais’ thought and the influence of other scholars on his research. While Palais’ detailed reading notes could be the basis of translations, the source materials are by now so old, having been published from 1930s to the 1970s, that many of them are by now obsolete.
3) Teaching Materials
While we presently enjoy an ever greater number of well-researched English-language articles and monographs on Korean history and Korean Studies in general, Palais taught at a time when there was very little available in English. The collection of teaching materials, including bibliographies, outlines, lecture notes, syllabi, slides, maps, exam questions, and writing assignments amassed over more than 35 years is truly an accomplishment and is still constitutes an important collection of pedagogical materials. Of course, some of the materials are dated but they could still be of great benefit to those teaching Korean history at the undergraduate and graduate levels in English. Significant work will be required to organize these materials as they are scattered throughout the collection and are not arranged in any particular order but if they were to be digitized and made widely available they would surely be of great benefit to teachers of Korean history throughout the world.
4) Letters to Newspaper Editors and Politicians
Palais was a man of passionate political and academic stances. As is already well-known, he was a vocal critic of the Pak Chŏnghŭi regime and was particularly concerned with issues of democracy and freedom of expression. His dedication to his beliefs led him to frequently write letters to American and Korean politicians and to the editors of major American newspapers. Of particular interest are his letters concerning Kim Taejung’s kidnapping in 1973. Palais’ letters are excellent illustrations of his politics in general and his opposition to military rule in South Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
5) English Translations
Palais translated numerous primary source materials for his research on the Taewŏn’gun and Yu Hyŏngwŏn. The most important of these is his translation of Yu Hyŏngwŏn’s Pan’gye surok. Time limitations made a full investigation impossible but it appears that the translation, more than 2000 typed pages, is very nearly complete. There were some minor gaps but the translation is not located entirely in one box so there may be other sections in other boxes. While the translation itself is nearly complete it is far from ready for publication. It must be remembered that Palais translated this text for his own personal use. The result is that the manuscript is heavily highlighted and covered in extensive marginalia. Moreover, the chapters are not in order and are instead grouped according to theme. In many cases Palais translated particular passages and then grouped them with passages from other chapters according to subject matter rather than Yu Hyŏngwŏn’s original order. Palais’ dissection of the text is interesting in and of itself as an indicator of the way in which he thought about Yu’s writings but a great deal of work will be necessary to prepare the text for publication, whether in print or digitally. There are a number of other translations of primary source materials, some of them handwritten, that could be of interest to scholars of late Chosŏn intellectual and institutional history and could perhaps be compiled into a reader on sirhak and other topics related to policy and reform in late Chosŏn but there was not enough time to examine these materials in sufficient detail to judge.
Dr. James B. Palais was a scholar of Chosŏn institutional and intellectual history and a pioneer in Korean Studies in the Anglophone world. Upon his death in 2006 the library of the University of Washington, his home institution for more than thirty years, received a collection of his papers from his home and office contained in 45 cardboard boxes. Currently the collection remains unprocessed. In the summer of 2011, an initial appraisal of these materials was made. The sheer amount of material and the often highly disorganized nature of the papers made it impossible to examine every document, but a general description of the contents of each of the 45 boxes of the collection was made. The physical condition of the collection is generally very good. Even the oldest of documents dating from the early 1960s is in an excellent state of preservation. There was not enough time to check the contents of the computer disks so their condition is unknown. Since the collection has not yet been processed, however, many of the papers are disorganized and in some instances their state of disarray suggests the boxes may have been packed in haste. A great deal of work thus remains to be done in processing the collection.
Open to all users, but access to portions of the collection is restricted.
Creator's literary rights retained. Contact Special Collections for details.