Before modernization the ways of life and culture of common
people were greatly dependent on their traditional local
communities. The same situation was true of Korean
shamanism. The most parts of Korean shamanism, that is, the
identity of shaman, the processes and many features of
shamanism rituals might be defined by traditional local culture.
And the transmission of shamanism tradition were based on
traditional local community. So it is possible to explain many
aspects of Korean shamanism in connection with traditional
local community and its culture.
Under the process of modernization Korean traditional local
communities and their culture were weakened or dissolved, and
it brought on many changes in Korean shamanism which were
highly dependent on traditional local communities. So this
paper intend to explain the historical changes of Korean
shamanism in relation to the changes of traditional local
communities and their culture. In particular this paper focuses on Korean shamanism's breakaway from local character and
community spirit. In other words this paper attempts to
understand the historical changes of Korean shamanism under
modernization on the presupposition that Korean shamanism
had been existed in the context of traditional local community
and along with modernization was out of the context of
traditional local community.
Concretely this paper examines the changes of three aspects
of Korean shamanism. First, the religious specialists of Korean
shamanism, that is Mudang(무당), second Korean shamanism
rituals, third the socio-religious organization of Korean
shamanism, that is Dangoljedo(단골제도).
As the result of such changes, Korean shamanism has lost its
local character and community spirit and come to be based on
individual human relations, not communal relations. Also in
shamanism rituals its ‘religious aspects’(namely, shaman's
spiritual, charismatic ability) are overemphasized in comparison
with its ‘cultural aspects’(namely, ritual music, dance, songs
and so on).
In spite of many changes, Korean shamanism is still alive in
Korean society. So it will be an important theme in the study of
Korean shamanism how to explain the vitality and the future
developments of Korean shamanism in modern Korea.