SELECTED ORAL HISTORIES OF THE MAY 18 GWANGJU UPRISING (광주 오월 민중항쟁 사료 전집 영문 번역)

These stories can help any reader consider the human potential of ordinary people faced with the oppression of an authoritarian state. They also offer a darker glimpse into the potential for inhuman behavior of those who have surrendered to the false narratives of such a state. The current rise of authoritarian tendencies and sympathies in today’s world makes this translation an even more valuable contribution to a hope for a more egalitarian and democratic world. . . . These particular histories transcend their historical moment, connecting the Gwangju people to a more broadly shared human desire for freedom from state oppression. These histories make available in their English translation, the great, though sometimes flawed, fundamental human dignity that the Gwangju people claimed in their rising up. Revisiting that dignity might echo with nostalgia, but it also resounds with the possibility of a better future.