Enlightenment on the Spirit-Altar
Eschatology and Restoration of Morality at the King Kwan Shrine in Fin de siècle Seoul
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3273377 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jihyun Kim (0000-0003-1514-0121, Seoul National University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 273 |
| Publication date | 2020-05-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel11060273 |
| OpenAlex | W3029032861 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 9 |
The period from the Treaty of Kanghwa (1876) until the fall of the Korean Empire (1897-1910) is commonly characterized as a period of kaehwa-Enlightenment-in which the Chosŏn state strived to reform and modernize. This article complicates the notion of Enlightenment in the late Chosŏn context, arguging that it was a hybrid term concurrently connoting modernization and religious awakening. In particular, this article sheds light on spirit-written texts-so called 'morality books'-employed by civil and military elites to participate in Enlightenment discourse. By the mid-nineteenth century, Guandi-the apotheosized version of the warrior Guan Yu-had emerged as one of the most popular spirit-writing deities in Qing dynasty China. This article explores the Korean faith and practice of spirit-writing centered on Thearch Kwan (Ch. Guandi) at shrines in Seoul. The King Kwan Shrines (Kwanwang myo) were the sites of production and publication of morality books during a critical period on the eve of modernization of Korea. Surprisingly, these texts were published with the sanction of King Kojong (reigned 1863-1907), the reformer who founded the new country. Kojong and his confidant servants were fully aware of the spirit-written texts and published them as the "Corpus of Enlightenment." The corpus unintentionally emphasized the key term of modernization in their eschatology, urging enlightenment-conceived of as religio-ethical values-in order to resolve contemporary ills and bring about a new era of peace. This research will dissolve the sharp demarcation between premodern and modern in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Korea by illuminating the polyphony of Enlightenment ideas, comflicting and competing between the old and new
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · China · Empire · Enlightenment · Literature · Modernization theory · Morality · Political science · Theology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,75 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |