Although Donghak was continually suppressed by the government after the foundation, it made a remarkable growth after the middle of the 1880's. As a result, it developed to a force in Korean society enough to resist to the oppression of the government and the local officials. From the beginning of the 1890's, Donghak led a chain of the movements to clear the name of the founder of false charges and to stop the maltreatment toward Donghak believers particularly in the Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces, where the number of the believers was on the sharp rise. The move was very systematic, tinged with definitely political overtones, and involved with the earnest request of the people. Donghak believers got together at Gongju in October 1892, and at Boun and Kumgu in 1893. They asked for the remission of the founder and the ban on the maltreatment toward the believers and the repulse of the Japanese and Western people. While the former two were a religious movement and at the same time the struggle for the right to live, the latter was a political struggle which insisted national independence against the foreign powers, speaking for the current emotions of the people. The attempt of the remission failed, but with the grant of the maltreatment prohibition from the government, it gave the believers great confidence, so Donghak movement to repel the foreign powers could have solidarity with the general public. Generally speaking, Donghak peasantry revolution is divided into two periods, with the first uprising as the struggle against the feudalism, and the second as the war against the foreign invasion. But in my opinion, even from the times of the remission, a slogan "Driving out the Japanese and Western people" appeared. And also the first uprising displayed a slogan “Liquidate the Japanese barbarians”all over the surface, while the second uprising was a war against Japan to save the country. Therefore the repulse of the Japanese and Western people was one of the major issues from the beginning to the end of the Donghak peasantry revolution. Through the current of the times, Donghak got to have great capability on the wholesale, and its combination with the people became a motive to ignite the peasantry revolution in 1894.
본 학회는 "역사학의 발전과 민족문화의 창달에 이바지한다"는 목표하에 도내의 역사학자들을 주축으로 1976년에 창립된 이래 30년 이상의 연륜을 이어온 정통 역사학회이다. 수차례의 학술대회를 개최하였을 뿐 아니라, 학술지 '전북사학'을 30호까지 발간하면서 지역 사학 발전의 토대를 놓았다는 평가를 받고 있다. 본 학회는 현재 약 240여명의 회원을 두고 있으며, 격월로 임원회의와 월례발표회를 개최하고 있다. 매 발표회에 실제로 참여하는 인원이 항상 30명이 넘는다. 대부분의 역사관련 학회가 주로 대학교수나 강사들로 구성되어 있는 데 비해 전북사학회는 대학교수, 강사는 물론 학예사, 연구원, 중등학교 역사담당교사 등 역사와 관련된 다양한 구성원들로 이루어져 있다는 장점을 지니고 있다. 대학에서 연구한 역사학에 관한 이론을 중등학교 교육 현장에 올바로 적용하여 이론과 실제를 하나로 만들려는 것이 향후 전북사학회의 지향점이다.
간행물
간행물명
전북사학 [JEONBUK SAHAK ; The Jeonbuk Historical Journal]