Abstract

Confucianism was the major intellectual tradition and the state philosophy in Korea for the whole of the Joseon Dynasty. Confucian intellectuals held prominent positions throughout this period and one of the most important activities was continuously providing philosophical justification for the social order. The Sarim as a movement and as a collective of intellectuals, had a specific historical beginning that was inextricably entangled in socio-political events known as SAWHA, the literati purges that raged for decades. Confucian scholars were responsible for providing regional customs, agricultural policies, and every form of ritual dealing with human affairs throughout the Joseon Dynasty. Political institutions and academies played consequential roles in the development of the tradition, however the relationship between official institutions and Confucian intellectuals remained notably paradoxical.