essay
Rituals of resistance: the manipulation of shamanism in contemporary Korea
asian visions of authority : religion and the modern states of east and southeast asia • Honolulu • Published In 1994 • Pages: 195-219
By: Kim, Kwang-ok.
Abstract
This study describes the use of shamanistic ritual in student protests against the South Korean government. Kim describes several student demonstrations as well as the postwar history of Korean political and religious movements which culminated in the Kwangju Massacre of May 18, 1980. According to Kim, students have drawn on the symbols of folk culture as a form of resistance to the elite and state ideology of Confucianism. The death of one student by police prompted the public performace of a shamanistic ritual to purify and console the vengeful ghost lest it become a evil spirit. Part of the ritual included a powerful dance perfomance by an university professor that depicted the torture and death of the student. Kim argues that the use of such symbolism has been an effective tool in the process of democratization.
- HRAF PubDate
- 1998
- Region
- Asia
- Sub Region
- East Asia
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Types
- Ethnologist
- Indigenous Person
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 1997
- Field Date
- not specified
- Coverage Date
- 1945-1988
- Coverage Place
- Republic of Korea
- Notes
- Kwang-ok Kim
- LCCN
- 9337979
- LCSH
- Koreans