essay
A Rite of modernization and its postmodern discontents: of weddings, bureaucrats, and morality in the Republic of Korea
asian visions of authority : religion and the modern states of east and southeast asia • Honolulu • Published In 1994 • Pages: 165-192
By: Kendall, Laurel.
Abstract
This study examines the changes in wedding ceremonies from traditional ('old style') to western ('new style') and back to a more traditional style that occurred in Korea in the postwar era. Kendall sees religious rituals, including weddings, as vehicles for morality and identity, and argues that changes in wedding ceremonial style reflect postwar changes in Korean moral order and national identity. According to Kendall, the change to new style weddings is primarily associated with changing gender relations in the family and the emergence of a new professional, urban middle class. The subsequent revival and revision of the 'old style' was initiated by the government in an effort to reclaim Korea's heritage and curb excessive consumption surrounding new style weddings, which were considered ostentatious and socially divisive. Kendall comments that in recent years the government has stepped back from trying too closely to regulate social behavior.
- HRAF PubDate
- 1998
- Region
- Asia
- Sub Region
- East Asia
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 1997
- Field Date
- 1983-1987
- Coverage Date
- 1960-1990
- Coverage Place
- Republic of Korea
- Notes
- Laurel Kendall
- LCCN
- 93037979
- LCSH
- Koreans