[KS] Re: Korean Identity in the New Millennium

[HKHogarth at aol.com]

Dear Mr. Pettid,

I wish to participate in the 11th International Conference at the AKS  in 
June.  Please find below an abstract of my proposed paper.  I am also sending 
it by post, since the diacritical marks may not show properly.


Dr. Hyun-key Kim Hogarth
17 St. Thomas Hill
Canterbury
Kent   CT2 8HW
U.K.
Tel/fax:  (01227) 781187       From Korea: +44-1227-781187

Institutional affiliation:  The Roayl Anthropological Institute


Title: Folkorization of the Shamanistic Heritage in Contemporary Korea:
Folklore, National Identity and Korean Shamanism

Abstract

This paper discusses the 'folklorization' of the shamanistic heritage in 
contemporary Korean society.  The ethnographic material that I focus on in 
this paper is one of the most celebrated festivals in contemporary Korea, 
commonly known as the Kangnung Tanoje Festival, held annually on the fifth 
day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar on the east coast of Korea.
 
First I will present definitions of 'folklorization' and 'folklore.'   The 
scholarly study of folklore began in the mid-nineteenth century, although 
there were precursors such as Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803), a 
German critic and poet.  The English term 'folklore' was coined in 1846 by 
British antiquarian William John Thomas, who defined it as 'the manners, 
customs, observances, superstitions, ballad, proverbs, etc., of the olden 
times' (cited in Bauman 1992). Borne out of the nineteenth century notions of 
romanticism and nationalism, folklore became a subject of serious study among 
'individuals who felt nostalgia for the past and/or the necessity of 
documenting the existence of national consciousness or identity (Dundes 
1980:1).'
Although the concepts of 'folk' and  'folklore' have undergone great changes 
in recent years in western academe (Dundes 1980), Thomas's notion prevails in 
contemporary Korea.  Folklore studies are mainly concerned with preserving 
the fast disappearing old customs and traditions, etc, and thus closely 
linked with the Korean national identity and cultural nationalism. The term 
'folklorization' invariably has connotations of national identity and 
nationalism.

The Kangnung Tanoje Festival is a prime example of how the shamanistic 
heritage is kept alive and cherished by modern Korean people, despite their 
great  advancement in science and technology.  It confirms the fact that 
Korean shamanism is an integral part of Korean culture.  Although its 
practices may be disappearing, especially in an urban setting, 
'folkorization' of the shamanistic heritage, will continue to occur, thus 
reconfirming its importance in the lives of the Korean people. 


References

Akiba, Takashi.  1953/1993.  Choson minsokchi.  Korean translation by Shim,     
     Usong. Seoul: Tongmunson.

Babcock, Barbara A (ed). 1978.  The Reversible World: Symbolic Inversion in 
Art and         Society. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. 

Bauman, Richard (ed). 1992. Folklore, Cultural Performances, and Popular        
Entertainnment: A Communications-Centered Handbook.  New York: Oxford       
University Press.  

Caillois, Roger.  1979.  Man, Play and Games.  New York: Schocken.

Dundes, Alan.  1980.  Interpeting Folklore.  Bloomington: Indiana University 
Press.  

Hong, Sokmo.  1849?/1989.  Tongguk Seshigi.  Translated into modern Korean 
with        annotations by Ch'oe Taerim.  Seoul: Hongshin Ch'ulp'ansa.

Im Tonggwon. 1971.  Han'guk minsokhak non'go (A Study of Korean Folklore).      
    Seoul: Chimmundang.

Kim Songwon (ed.)  1987.  Han'guk ui seshi p'ungsok (Seasonal Customs of 
Korea).         Seoul: Myongmundang.


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