A Producing Process for Korean Nursing Knowledge and Discourse on Analytic Prospects

Kwon, Bong Sook; Park, Hyoung Sook

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the producing process for Korean nursing knowledge as applied by Foucault's discourse analytic method. By Foucault's discourse analytic method, the problem is not what is knowledge but sort of knowledge is made up through specific level of practice. A Korean body of nursing knowledge had been discussed since 1980. At the end of 19th century, missionaries transplanted western nursing knowledge and method to Korea. Western nursing knowledge and methods have been developed continuously with both merits and demerits to Korean society. Recently our world has be come a global community via advances in transportation and correspondence. Although each person is different in skin color and shape, there is a clear line between Oriental people and Western people. Nursing science is only one in our world, but western humanistic nursing practice based on western world view and human life has limits. It is natural that the Koreans as Oriental people have a systemic nursing science to reveal the specific experiential and concrete body of nursing knowledge rooted in the Korean world view and human life. Nursing science is to understand human being, to promote health, to promote health, to restore health, to alleviate suffering and to search for principles needed throughout all of human life. In Korea, now is the quickening period to shape a Korean body of nursing knowledge because of shortage of nursing language in matters of intellectual recognition, and unfamiliar practical nursing field where there is no familiarity in the system of nursing research methodology. In reviewing articles from the Journal of the Nurses' Academic Society on Korean body of nursing knowledge, it was found that there are two common features. The first, human body and mind are inseparable that is one unit in this world and health is keeping a harmonious relationship between human body and mind. The second, Korean nursing practice is based on human nature and family ties. Accordingly discourse analysis had a good future prospect to produce a Korean body of nursing knowledge for analytic research on body and mind monism and family centered care based on human nature and family ties.