Why do Koreans use shamanic ritual even though prejudice against shamanism is universal? Why do so many Koreans employ a practice that is widely stigmatized and despised as superstition? Shamanism has a contradictory position within the Korean cultural system. This has led to the periodical suppression of shamanism and has also, paradoxically, ensured its survival throughout Korean history. This book examines the place of shamans within contemporary society, exploring shamanism as a cultural practice in which people make use of shamanic ritual, and disputing the prevalent view that shamanism is "popular culture", "women's religion" or "performing arts". Chongho Kim also disputes the common view among medical anthropologists that places shamanism firmly within the realm of traditional medicine. Drawing on case studies within Korea, Kim presents a study of indigenous anthropology with ethnographic material drawn from an insider's perspective and offers an understanding of the appeal of this indigenous folk practice in a highly industrial society. Directly confronting the prejudice against shamans and their paradoxical situation in a modern society such as Korea, this book reveals the cultural discrepancy between two worlds in Korean culture, the ordinary world and the shamanic world, and shows that these two worlds cannot be reconciled with each other. Kim explains that it is the difference between them which explains why shamans are necessary but also despised. Focusing on ordinary people who make use of shamans, rather than focusing merely on "the way of the shaman", this study of shamanism offers a significant contribution to the growing field of studies in indigenous anthropology and indigenous religions.
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First Sentence:
Over two decades ago in an interview, a Korean shaman already raised the paradoxical situation of shamanism in Korean culture in a way very similar to the way I raise it in this book: Still, I tried to read whatever I could find on shamanism to understand why it is so despised but at the same time so widely followed. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cultural toxicity, kut ritual, shamanic gods, stamp out superstition, sutra chanter, sutra healing, shamanic invocation, paradoxical healing, shamanic ritual, ghost illness, shamanic world, central township, using shamans, shamanic discourse, shamanic process, shamanic healing, head shaman, ritual business, shamanic songs, indigenous anthropologist, ritual room, novice shaman, possessed speech, cultural paradox, cultural discrepancy Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Chisun's Grandmother, Soh Bosal, Chisun's Grandfather, Spirit Stick, Chisun's Father, Muno's Mother, Chisun's Great-Grandmother, Gilsu's Mother, Choi Bosal, Boyoung's Mother, Kum-Hwa Kim, National Living Treasure, Pilsok's Grandmother, Seoul National University, Chisun's Mother, Hyein's Father, Willow Village, Inho's Mother, South Korea, Professor Kim, Big Village, Chongho Kim, Enduring Pine Village, Korean Buddhism, Korean War New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Over two decades ago in an interview, a Korean shaman already raised the paradoxical situation of shamanism in Korean culture in a way very similar to the way I raise it in this book: Still, I tried to read whatever I could find on shamanism to understand why it is so despised but at the same time so widely followed. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cultural toxicity, kut ritual, shamanic gods, stamp out superstition, sutra chanter, sutra healing, shamanic invocation, paradoxical healing, shamanic ritual, ghost illness, shamanic world, central township, using shamans, shamanic discourse, shamanic process, shamanic healing, head shaman, ritual business, shamanic songs, indigenous anthropologist, ritual room, novice shaman, possessed speech, cultural paradox, cultural discrepancy Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Chisun's Grandmother, Soh Bosal, Chisun's Grandfather, Spirit Stick, Chisun's Father, Muno's Mother, Chisun's Great-Grandmother, Gilsu's Mother, Choi Bosal, Boyoung's Mother, Kum-Hwa Kim, National Living Treasure, Pilsok's Grandmother, Seoul National University, Chisun's Mother, Hyein's Father, Willow Village, Inho's Mother, South Korea, Professor Kim, Big Village, Chongho Kim, Enduring Pine Village, Korean Buddhism, Korean War New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 77
books:
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1
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cites this book:
- Shamanism: The Spirit World of Korea (Studies in Korean Religions and Culture 1) by Richard W. I. Guisso on 6 pages
- The Seen and the Unseen: Shamanism, Mediumship and Possession in Borneo (Monograph Series) by Va.) Borneo Research Council (Williamsburg on 5 pages
- Traditional Medicine and Health Care Coverage. A Reader for Health Administrators and Practitioners by Bannerman IARC on 5 pages
- Anthropology and Autobiography by Judith Okely on 4 pages
- Ecstatic Religion: A Study of Shamanism and Spirit Possession by I.M. Lewis on 4 pages
See all 77 books this book cites
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