10.47417/yar.2020.88.175

Archaeological studies on modern and contemporary ages are limited to the excavation of human remains and the study of Korea under Japanese rule. However, studies on the industrialization process are also an important area that should be addressed, but to do so first it is necessary to establish terms for modern and contemporary archaeology. This study determines “industrial archaeology” to be one such term and uses it to differentiate from “prehistoric” or “historical.” Although industrial archaeology is a subfield of archaeology it has not been properly recognized by Korean archaeologists and instead has been sporadically cited in other academic fields. Thus, it would be preferable for the archaeological community to appreciate industrial archaeology in a more systemic way.The overall concept of industrial archaeology is defined as an academic field for recording, investigating, interpreting, utilizing, conserving, and inheriting tangible and intangible heritage arising from the process of industrialization. Although the subjects of study are spatially focused in the Korean Peninsula, neighboring countries and countries associated with Korea by international treaties are included in order to better understand the industrial archaeology of the whole peninsula. Temporally, the period of industrial archaeology can be understood to span from the late Joseon Dynasty, traversing the Korean Empire, to the presentday Republic of Korea.As objects of practical research on industrial archaeology, the process of industrialization is studied by focusing on how it was utilized by studying excavated remains and institutional features, together with colonialism, imperialism, and intangible cultural heritage. Researchers with experience in interdisciplinary studies are important in this investigative endeavor in research. Furthermore, the public's active participation, as well as the role of government and business (in terms of policy and funding, respectively), is equally important. In other words, industrial archaeology must be understood as a study that meets the public's demand through concerted effort by interdisciplinary researchers supported by government and other parties.