Enchanted companionship of Korean Catholic youth amid compressed individualization

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12911797
AutoresKyuhyun Jung (0000-0001-8282-1969, Sogang University), Seil Oh (0000-0002-3836-6038, Sogang University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2023
Volumen17
Número7
Fecha de publicación2023-03-07
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSociology Compass (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1751-9020 • E-ISSN: 1751-9020
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/soc4.13082
OpenAlexW4323355398
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas23

Korean youth are confronted with “existential vulnerability” in an uncertain labor market. “Compressed individualization” reflects a high‐risk society in Korea's socio‐economic context and acts as the social backdrop for the “privatization of religion.” Despite de‐religionization or the unchurching climate, what are the peculiar features of Korean Catholic youth who are actively participating in a church group? The authors selected five Catholic youth groups and conducted in‐depth interviews with 18 of their members. Highly religious young Catholics demonstrate coping with existential insecurity amid compressed individualization via “enchanted companionship” experienced through prayer, sharing, or service. Despite differences in communal culture between groups, the peculiar features of their enchanted companionship include holistic healing, reciprocal transcendence, and solidarity. Amid the youth's struggles to find their way toward the fullness of life, these communities offer them a “free and gratuitous haven” distinct from secular ties in the utilitarian and disenchanted world. They can also voluntarily discover the significance of life through their activities, reflections, and missions. In sum, this study explains how religiosity is formed through a socio‐existential vulnerability in youth's lived religion at a micro‐level analysis, and signifies enchanted companionship as a key mechanism counteracting the waves of the secular world

Context (archaeology · Existentialism · Interpersonal relationship · Political science · Politics · Religiosity · Sociology · Solidarity · Spirituality · Gender Studies · History · Law · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology