The March 1st Movement and the Red Thread of International Peace History

This paper offers a narrative that transcends the received view of the March 1, 1919 Movement as a nationalist, anti-Japanese Movement for Korean Independence. Moving beyond the description of the Movement as one for "independence" and "self-determination," I discuss the March 1st Movement within the deeper context of international peace history. When we transcend the traditional narrative and position the March 1 Movement and its participants within broader geographic, social and historical contexts, the cosmopolitan and humanitarian dimensions of the Movement are illuminated. Understood as a complex landscape of stories that illustrate an awakened conscience, cosmopolitan affection and the politics of hope, the March 1 Movement shines as an important moment in the "red thread" of international peace history.