Agenda

16 Dec 2021 16:00

Book Talk: Contemporary Korean Shamanism: From Ritual to Digital

Online conference

Liora Sarfati, Tel Aviv University 

The talk will discuss how Korean shamanic rituals, which were once viewed as an embarrassing superstition, are going mainstream. The theatrical religious performances of Korean shamans―who communicate with the dead, divine the future, and become possessed―are now visible in various formats and media. Attitudes toward Korean shamanism are changing as shamanic traditions appear in staged rituals, museums, films, and television programs, as well as on the internet. My research explores this vernacular religion and practice, which includes sensory rituals using laden altars, ecstatic dance, and animal sacrifice, within South Korea's hypertechnologized society, where over 200,000 shamans are listed in professional organizations. It discusses how representations of shamanism in national, commercialized, and screen-mediated settings have transformed opinions of these religious practitioners and their rituals. 

Liora Sarfati is an anthropologist and folklorist whose specialism spans religion, society, culture, and the media. She holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University, and is currently a senior lecturer (associate professor) at the Department of East Asian studies of Tel Aviv University.
Her research explores the production of vernacular rituals in contemporary South Korea, and the recent protests in downtown Seoul. Sarfati’s research methods include ethnography in urban settings, media analysis, folklore research, and digital humanities (email: lsarfati@tauex.tau.ac.il, website: http://www.liorasarfati.com).

Registration required at this link

This event was supported by the Seed Program for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2020-INC-2230010).

Language

The event will be held in English

Organized by

Department of Asian and North African Studies (Ariane Perrin), The Academy of Korean Studies

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