Abstract

The book Woman and Socialism by August Bebel, known in East Asia as On Women (Buin-ron), is a socialist classic first published in 1879. In Korea, abridged translations of its second and first parts appeared in the mid-1920s, with nine translation attempts made before the first complete Korean edition in 1990. These translations, connected with Japanese, Chinese, and English editions, symbolized a meaningful effort amidst ideological censorship. Between the 1920s and 1930s, derivative texts influenced by the book were written by male socialists, focusing on issues like monogamy and sex labor but neglecting structural gender problems under capitalism. These writings often revealed misogyny or paternalism, limiting their engagement with women’s liberation. Although regarded as a “textbook of liberation” by women intellectuals, the book failed to inspire broader discussions on emancipation, reflecting the harsh realities faced by Korean women. Japanese socialist Yamakawa Kikue, the first to fully translate Woman and Socialism in East Asia, extended solidarity to Korean women, albeit under the assumption that their liberation required alignment with Japan’s proletarian movement. Despite these limitations, the incomplete translation practices and solidarity efforts from a century ago hold significance as they continue to evoke unresolved questions about gender and women’s liberation.