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North Korea

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A Closer Look at the Ideal Woman and Mother From the mid-1940s to the 1980s

Despite detailed research on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK’s leadership, military, and policies, there has been little scholarly focus on revolutionary women and mothers. From Kim Il-Sung to Kim Jong-Un’s mothers, North Korea is quick to provide the leaders’ mothers with ideal examples of revolutionary heroes. Motherhood, womanhood, and North Korean femininity have become guiding components of the state despite the country’s national, patriarchal trends. This thesis uses both primary and secondary sources to illustrate the formation of propaganda concerning women and mothers and their roles in North Korea. Building on the concept of patriotic “motherhood” and “womanhood” as well as North Korean state ideology, this study is part of a growing body of research on the history of women in North Korea. In using sources that predominantly pertain to women, mothers, and socialism, specifically regarding North Korean history, this project will be instrumental in future research on the positions women in the North play in ideology.

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