"Dad, Columbus discovered the New World!"
A few days ago, my first-grade daughter jubilantly announced this after reading a biography, leaving me at a loss. Was Columbus truly a great man? Is the history he crafted something to discuss with such exuberance? The notion that 'Columbus's discovery of the New World' emanates from a predominantly Western-centric mindset is no longer a novel perspective. The "New World" they claimed to have discovered was actually an Old World, already inhabited. The so-called Indians were simply indigenous peoples living according to their own customs. Not content with claiming an already inhabited land as 'new', they killed or displaced the natives — a more grievous injustice is hard to imagine from the natives' perspective.
In November 2022, the Association for the Study of Higher Education held its conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the conference hall, where I had come with my professor to present a paper, I noticed a rather interesting practice. Before the start of each session, the facilitator was encouraged to read the following acknowledgment: "The land on which we gather today for this conference was originally sacred ground to the 27 tribes of Nevada, including the Nuwu tribe. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and colonialism. We express gratitude to all those who have allowed us to use this land across generations, providing us the opportunity to study, learn, and work here."
The term 'frontier spirit' was once widely propagated on our university campus. I recall the day during my undergraduate years when this slogan — branded onto our website, promotional materials, and banners as a combination logo with the English phrase 'Frontier Spirit' — seemed both familiar and odd. I tried to recall where I had first heard this phrase. It reminded me of the 'Millennium Frontier' campaign that appeared in a major corporate advertisement around the year 2000. Whether it was inspired by that campaign, I couldn't confirm, but the intent to embody the audacious vision of cultivating global talents with pioneering spirit was unmistakably conveyed. It also felt like a commitment to transforming Korea University into an institution of global competitiveness by harnessing an indomitable spirit.
With my limited understanding, I approach with caution the full comprehension of the historical origin and anthropological meaning of the frontier.
However, it's clear that the pioneering spirit advancing into the unknown world forms the bedrock of modern American identity, and it was the driving force behind Western colonization. For medieval Europeans, the frontier was a daily renewing 'boundary', an entity directing them towards the Atlantic and the New World beyond, a challenge of the times when Columbus lived. These pioneers expanded their influence westward upon arriving on the American continent. To them, the frontier was a borderland between savagery and civilization, and the pattern of extending the battlefront and conquering was relentlessly repeated. In this process, the indigenous peoples were systematically dispossessed.
Fast forward more than 150 years, researchers in higher education attending the conference paid homage and apologized to the 27 tribes once residing in the Nevada region among countless oppressed indigenous peoples. Yet, we still seem to reside in a world where a history of dehumanizing oppression is celebrated as unyielding willpower.
How can we connect the 'frontier spirit' that drove indigenous slaughter and colonial control on the continent with the tenets, educational purpose, and objectives enumerated in Article 2 of the Korea University Constitution? I believe that the American-inspired slogan proposed by the school's leadership at that time did not fully align with the frontier spirit of the Western pioneer era. It's unlikely that many Korea University students remember or use the slogan, which only lasted precisely four years. Yet, its legacy remains in the name of the dormitory completed during that period. If a descendant of the indigenous people, who remember their dark history, were to enroll in Korea University and live in the Frontier Hall, named after the term they'd rather not confront, what emotions would they feel?
It's time to pay attention once again to the international trend of respecting diversity, pursuing inclusivity, and advocating global citizenship. Korea University is on the cusp of 2023, ready to greet a new frontier.
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*Disclaimer
This content is a translation of a Korean article that was published in March 2023 on Korea University News. For the original article, please visit http://www.kunews.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=40562.
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