Society in the Joseon Dynasty

In this episode, we examine society in the Joseon dynasty, a rigidly ordered world shaped by Neo-Confucian ideals for more than five centuries. The episode explores the four-tier social hierarchy, from the powerful yangban elite to commoners, artisans, merchants, and the marginalized cheonmin, including slaves and outcasts. We also look at how family life, gender roles, ancestral rituals, education, and the civil service exams reinforced status and authority, while the creation of Hangul opened new possibilities for literacy beyond the elite. Along the way, historical records and Western accounts reveal both the everyday realities of this stratified society and the gradual social and economic changes that emerged near the dynasty’s end.